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PSALM -MOSAICS, 


H  Bloorapbical  an^  Ibtstorical  Commentari^ 
on  tbe  psalms. 


BY    THE^ 

REV.  A.   SAUNDERS  DYER,  M.A,  F.SA. 

Chaplain  H.M.  India?i  Service. 


NEW   YORK : 

THOMAS     WHITTAKER 

2    &    3,    BIBLE    HOUSE. 

1895. 


£  bcbicate 
THIS   VOLUME    TO    MY   WIFE 


H  dk  t\erj//o<Ti'j'/;  avTpjg  dvkffrrjffe  to.  tskvu  avrriq,  icai  tTr\ovTt](Tai\ 
Kai  o  dvr/p  avrrJQ  yvtatv  avrip'.' 


'  What  a  record  that  would  be,  if  one  could  write  down  all  the  spiritual 
experiences,  the  disclosures  of  the  heart,  the  comforts  and  conflicts,  which 
men  in  the  course  of  ages  have  connected  with  the  words  of  the  Psalms  ! 
What  a  history,  if  we  could  discover  the  place  this  book  has  occupied  in 
the  inner  life  of  the  heroes  of  the  kingdom  of  GOD  !' —  Tholuck. 

'  He  that  would  be  holy,  let  him  read  the  Psalms.  Every  line  in  this 
book  breathes  peculiar  sanctity.' — Plain  Discourse  upon  Uprightness^ 
Richard  Steele,  1670. 


PREFACE. 


But  few  words  of  introduction  are  needed  to  such  a  Collection 
of  Notes  as  the  present ;  it  speaks  for  itself. 

It  was  in  1872,  when  at  Lichfield  Theological  College,  that 
the  words  of  the  then  Principal,  Canon  Curteis,  first  suggested 
to  the  writer  the  idea  of  collecting,  during  his  readings,  such 
biographical  and  historical  illustrations  of  the  Psalms  as  are 
contained  in  this  volume. 

The  chief  object  in  publishing  them  is  the  hope  that  they 
may  be  of  help  to  the  reader,  in  the  religious  life ;  for  most  of 
them  testify  to  the  fact  that  the  words  of  a  Psalm,  in  the  days 
that  are  gone,  have  comforted  in  time  of  bereavement,  and  suc- 
coured in  time  of  danger^they  are  still  potent  to  comfort  and 
succour  those  in  similar  circumstances  to-day. 

Dean  Stanley  has  truly  said  :  '  The  Psalter,  by  its  manifold 
application  and  uses  in  after-times,  is  a  vast  palimpsest,  written 
over  and  over  again,  illuminated,  illustrated  by  every  con- 
ceivable incident  and  emotion  of  men  and  nations  ;  battles, 
wanderings,  dangers,  escapes,  death-beds,  obsequies  of  many 
ages  and  countries,  rise,  or  may  rise,  to  our  view  as  we 
read  it.'* 

Psalm-Mosaics  is  an  attempt  to  record  such  incidents  and 
emotions,    '  the    spiritual    experiences,  the  disclosures  of  the 

*  Eastej-n  Church,  Introduction,  Ixxv. 


vi  PREFACE 

heart,  the  comforts  and  conflicts,  which  men  in  the  course  of 
ages  have  connected  with  the  words  of  the  Psalms  '■^— is,  in  fact, 
an  Historical  and  Biographical  Commentary  on  the  Psalms. 

As,  however,  this  Collection  made  progress,  other  notes  of  a 
literary  and  antiquarian  character  were  added,  in  the  endea- 
vour to  make  the  volume  as  complete  a  Common-Place  Book 
of  the  Psalter  as  possible.  It  is  hoped  that  the  addition  of 
such  notes  will  not  tend  to  distract  those  who  seek  from  its 
pages  aid  of  a  more  distinctly  devotional  kind. 

The  plan  has  been  to  quote  the  exact  words  of  each  speaker 
or  writer,  giving  a  definite  reference  ;  this  has  been  thought 
preferable  to  working  up  in  one's  own  words  the  various  inci- 
dents and  spiritual  experiences. 

The  only  other  book  on  similar  lines  is  one  of  singular 
beauty  of  expression  by  the  late  Rev.  John  Ker,  D.D.,  and 
called  Tke  Psabtis  m  History  and  Biography  ;  but  this  work  in 
no  way  trenches  on  Psalm-Mosaics^  although  a  few  quotations 
have  been  made  from  its  pages. 

Dr.  Ker's  book  treats  chiefly  of  the  Psalms  as  illustrated  in 
Scotch  and  Protestant  Christianity,  and  the  dangers  and  dis- 
tresses experienced  by  the  Covenanters.  Psalm-Mosaics  are 
gleanings  from  a  wider  and  more  Catholic  field,  a  field,  too, 
with  a  wealth  of  illustrations  still  ungathered.  The  collector  of 
these  Notes  would  be  grateful  to  any  of  his  readers  for  addi- 
tional illustrations  and  quotations,  so  that,  in  case  a  second 
edition  is  called  for,  this  Collection  may  be  as  complete  and 
wide  as  possible. 

*  Tholuck. 


INDIVIDUAL  TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE 
PSALTER. 

Sf.  Atha7iasius^  Bishop  of  Alexandria  (296  to  373). — '  To 
me,  indeed,  it  seems  that  the  Psahiis  are  to  him  who  sings  them 
as  a  mirror,  wherein  he  may  see  himself  and  the  motions  of 
his  soul,  and  with  like  feelings  utter  them.  So  also  one  who 
hears  a  Psalm  read,  takes  it  as  if  it  were  spoken  concerning 
himself,  and  either,  convicted  by  his  own  conscience,  will  be 
pricked  at  heart  and  repent,  or  else,  hearing  of  that  hope  which 
is  to  GoD-wards,  and  the  succour  which  is  vouchsafed  to  them 
that  believe,  leaps  for  joy,  as  though  such  grace  were  specially 
made  over  to  him,  and  begins  to  utter  his  thanksgivings  to 
God.'* 

St.  Ambrose^  Bishop  of  Milan  (340-397). — 'Although  all 
Divine  Scripture  breathes  the  grace  of  God,  yet  sweet  beyond 
all  others  is  the  Book  of  Psalms.  .  .  .  History  instructs,  the 
Law  teaches,  Prophecy  announces,  Rebuke  chastens.  Morality 
persuades  ;  in  the  Book  of  Psalms  we  have  the  fruit  of  all  these, 
and  a  kind  of  medicine  for  the  salvation  of  man.  .  .  .  What  is 
more  delightful  than  a  Psalm?  It  is  the  benediction  of  the 
people,  the  praise  of  God,  the  thanksgiving  of  the  multitude, 
the  voice  of  the  Church,  the  harmonious  confession  of  our 
faith.'t 

St.  Easily  Bishop  of  Caesarea  (326-379). — 'Psalmody  is  the 
calm  of  the  sou),  the  repose  of  the  spirit,  the  arbiter  of  peace. 

*  Epistle  to  Marcellinus. 
f  In  Psalmwn  I.  Enar. 


2  PSALM-MOSAICS 

It  silences  the  wave,  and  conciliates  the  whirlwind  of  our 
passions,  soothing  the  impetuous,  tempering  the  unchaste.  It 
is  an  engenderer  of  friendship,  a  healer  of  dissension,  a  re- 
conciler of  enemies.  For  who  can  "longer  count  him  his 
enemy,  with  whom  to  the  throne  of  God  he  hath  raised  the 
strain  "  ?  Psalmody  repels  the  demons,  and  lures  the  angels. 
It  is  a  weapon  of  defence  in  nightly  terrors,  and  a  respite  from 
daily  toil.  To  the  infant  it  is  a  presiding  genius  ;  to  manhood 
a  crown  of  glory ;  a  palm  of  comfort  to  the  aged  ;  a  congenial 
ornament  to  women.' 

St  Gregory  Nazianzen,  Bishop  of  Constantinople  (326-389). 
— 'O  David,  how  hast  thou  sung  all  too  little  for  pious 
souls  !' 

St.  Chrysostom  (347-407). — 'If  we  keep  vigil  in  the  Church, 
David  comes  first,  last,  and  midst.  If  early  in  the  morning 
we  seek  for  the  melody  of  hymns,  first,  last,  and  midst  is  David 
again.  If  we  are  occupied  with  the  funeral  solemnities  of  the 
departed,  if  virgins  sit  at  home  and  spin,  David  is  first,  last, 
and  midst.* 

'  O  marvellous  wonder  !  Many  who  have  made  but  little 
progress  in  literature,  nay,  who  have  scarcely  mastered  its  first 
principles,  have  the  Psalter  by  heart.  Nor  is  it  in  cities  and 
churches  alone,  that  at  all  times,  through  every  age,  David  is 
illustrious ;  in  the  midst  of  the  forum,  in  the  wilderness,  and 
uninhabitable  land,  he  excites  the  praises  of  God.  In  monas- 
teries, amongst  those  holy  choirs  of  angelic  armies,  David  is 
first,  midst,  and  last.  In  the  convents  of  virgins,  where  are  the 
bands  of  them  that  imitate  Mary  ;  in  the  deserts,  where  are 
men  crucified  to  this  world,  and  having  their  conversation  with 
God,  first,  midst  and  last  is  he.  All  other  men  are  at  night 
overpowered  by  natural  sleep :  David  alone  is  active,  and, 
congregating  the  servants  of  God  into  seraphic  bands,  turns 
earth  into  heaven,  and  converts  men  into  angels.' 

*  S.  Chrysostom  is  referring  to  that  stanza  of  Theognis  : 

'  fiXX'  d€(   TTpojTOV  re  Kai  vararov,   iv  re  fisaoKTiv 
deiauj  av  ci  /.iff  kXvOi,  kccI  iadXci  cidov.' 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  3 

St.  Augustine,  Bishop  of  Hippo  (353-429). — *  Oh,  in  what 
accents  spake  I  unto  Thee,  my  God,  when  I  read  the  Psalms 
of  David,  those  faithful  songs,  and  sounds  of  Devotion,  which 
allow  of  no  swelling  spirit,  I,  as  yet  a  Catechumen,  and  as  a 
novice  in  Thy  real  love,  while  I  rested  in  that  villa,  with 
Alypius,  equally  a  Catechumen,  my  mother  cleaving  to  us,  in 
female  garb  but  with  a  masculine  faith,  with  the  tranquillity  of 
age,  motherly  love,  Christian  piety.  Oh,  what  accents  did  I 
utter  unto  Thee  in  those  Psalms,  and  how  was  I  by  them 
kindled  towards  Thee,  and  on  fire  to  rehearse  them,  if  possible 
through  the  world,  against  the  pride  of  mankind.  And  yet 
they  are  sung  through  the  whole  world,  nor  can  "  any  hide 
himself  from  the  heat."  '* 

The  confessions  of  St.  Augustine  begin  with  quotations  from 
the  Psalms  (Ps.  cxlv.  3,  cxlvii.  5),  and  end  with  a  quotation 
(Ps.  xxii.  26). 

St.  Bernard  (1091-1157). — 'Never  shalt  thou  comprehend 
David  till  in  thine  own  experience  thou  hast  attained  the 
feelings  of  the  Psalms.' 

Luther  (1483-1546). — 'Nowhere  will  you  find  more  happily 
or  more  significantly  expressed  the  feelings  of  a  soul  full  of  joy 
and  exultation,  than  in  the  Psalms  of  thanksgiving,  or  Psalms 
of  praises.  For  there  you  may  look  into  the  hearts  of  the 
Saints,  as  you  would  into  Paradise  or  into  the  open  heaven, 
and  note  with  what  wonderful  variety  there  spring  up  here  and 
there  the  beautiful  blossoms,  and  the  most  brilliant  stars  of  the 
sweetest  affections  towards  God  and  His  benefits.  On  the 
other  hand,  nowhere  will  you  find  described  in  more  expressive 
words  mental  distress,  pain  and  grief  of  soul,  than  in  the  Psalms 
of  temptations  or  lamentations,  as  in  the  Sixth  Psalm,  and 
others  like  it.  There  death  itself,  hell  itself,  you  see  painted 
in  their  proper  colours  ;  there  you  see  all  black,  all  gloomy,  in 
view  of  the  Divine  anger  and  despair.  So  likewise,  when  the 
Psalms  speak  of  hope,  or  of  fear,  they  so  describe  these  feelings 

*  Confessions^  Book  ix.,  §  iv. 


4  PSALM-MOSAICS 

in  their  own  native  words,  that  no  Demosthenes,  no  Cicero, 
could  express  them  more  to  the  Hfe,  or  more  happily.'"^ 

He  also  called  the  Psalms  '  Parva  Bibha.' 

Cardinal  Bellarmine  (1542-1621)  said  of  the  Psalter, 
'  The  Book  of  the  Psalms  which  all  Ecclesiastics  daily  read, 
but  very  few  indeed  understand.' 

John  Calvin  (1509-1564). — 'If  the  reading  of  my  Com- 
mentary on  this  book  brings  as  much  blessing  to  the  Church 
of  God  as  I  have  got  in  the  composition  of  it,  I  shall  not 
repent  of  the  work.  Not  without  reason  have  I  been  accus- 
tomed to  call  this  book  the  anatomy  of  all  the  parts  of  the 
mind,  since  there  is  no  emotion  of  w^hich  anyone  can  be 
conscious,  that  is  not  imaged  here  as  in  a  glass.  All  the 
sorrows,  troubles,  fears,  doubts,  hopes,  pains,  perplexities, 
stormy  outbreaks,  by  which  the  hearts  of  men  are  tossed,  have 
been  here  depicted  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  very  Hfe.'f 

John  Donne  (1573-1631). — 'The  Psalms  are  the  manna  of 
the  Church  ;  as  manna  tasted  to  every  man  like  that  he  liked 
best,  so  do  the  Psalms  minister  instruction  and  satisfaction  to 
every  man,  in  every  emergency  and  occasion.  David  was  not 
only  a  clear  prophet  of  Christ  Himself,  but  of  every  particular 
Christian ;  he  foretells  what  I,  what  any  shall  do,  and  suffer, 
and  say.' I 

Richard  Hooker  (i 554-1 600). — 'They are  not  ignorant  what 
difference  there  is  between  other  parts  of  Scripture  and  Psalms. 
The  choice  and  flower  of  all  things  profitable  in  other  books, 
the  Psalms  do  both  more  briefly  contain  and  more  movingly 
also  express,  by  reason  of  that  poetical  form  wherewith  they 
are  written.  .  .  .  What  is  there  necessary  for  man  to  know, 
which  the  Psalms  are  not  able  to  teach  ?  They  are  to  beginners 
an  easy  and  familiar  introduction,  a  mighty  augmentation  of 
all  virtue  and  knowledge  in  such  as  are  entered  before,  a 
strong    confirmation    to    the    most    perfect    among    others. 

*  Preface  to  the  Psalter  (1549). 

+  Holland,  Psalmists  of  Britain,  p.  4. 

X  Donne,  ServionXwx.;   Works,  vol.  iii.,  p.  156. 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  5 

Heroical  magnanimity,  exquisite  justice,  grave  moderation, 
exact  wisdom,  repentance  unfeigned,  unwearied  patience,  the 
mysteries  of  God,  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  the  terrors  of 
wrath,  the  comforts  of  grace,  the  works  of  Providence  over  this 
world,  and  the  promised  joys  of  that  world  which  is  to  come, 
all  good  necessarily  to  be  either  known,  or  done,  or  had,  this 
one  celestial  fountain  yieldeth.  Let  there  be  any  grief  or 
disease  incident  unto  the  soul  of  man,  any  wound  or  sickness 
named  for  which  there  is  not  in  this  treasure-house  a  present 
comfortable  remedy  at  all  times  ready  to  be  found.  Hereof 
it  is  that  we  covet  to  make  the  Psalms  especially  familiar  unto 
all.  This  is  the  very  cause  why  we  iterate  the  Psalms  oftener 
than  any  other  part  of  Scripture  besides;  the  cause  where- 
fore we  inure  the  people  together  with  their  minister,  and  not 
the  minister  alone,  to  read  them  as  other  parts  of  Scripture  he 
doth.'* 

I^au/  Gerhard  (1606-1676). — 'The  Psalms  is  a  theatre, 
where  God  allows  us  to  behold  both  Himself  and  His  works ; 
a  most  pleasant  green  field ;  a  vast  garden,  where  we  see  all 
manner  of  flowers  ;  a  paradise  where  we  see  the  most  delicious 
flowers  and  fruits  ;  a  great  sea,  in  which  are  hid  costly  pearls ; 
a  heavenly  school,  in  which  we  have  God  for  our  Teacher ;  a 
compend  of  all  Scripture  ;  a  mirror  of  Divine  Grace,  reflecting 
the  lovely  face  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  and  the  anatomy  of 
our  souls.' 

Milton  ( 1 608-1 674). — '  But  those  frequent  songs  throughout 
the  law  and  prophets,  not  in  their  Divine  argument  alone, 
but  in  the  very  art  of  composition,  may  be  easily  made  appear 
over  all  the  other  kinds  of  lyric  poesy  to  be  incomparable. 
They  are  the  inspired  gift  of  God  to  celebrate,  in  glorious  and 
lofty  hymns,  the  throne  and  equipage  of  His  almightiness, 
and  what  He  works,  and  what  He  suffers  to  be  wrought  with 
high  providence  in  His  Church,  to  sing  victorious  agonies  of 
martyrs  and  saints,  the  deeds  and  triumphs  of  just  and  pious 

*  Hooker,  Reel.  /*<?/.,  Book  v.,  ch.  xxxvii.,  §  2. 


6  PSALM.MOSAICS 

nations,  doing  valiantly  through  faith  against  the  enemies  of 
Christ.' 

Archbishop  Leighton  (1611-1684),  in  his  Charge  of  1666, 
said  to  his  clergy :  '  Of  the  Old  Testament,  take  particularly 
large  portions  of  the  Psalms,  being  both  so  excellently  in- 
structive, and  withal  so  Divine  forms  of  Prayer  and  Praise ; 
and  so  much  used  by  the  Church  in  all  ages,  and  always  so 
great  a  part  of  their  services.'  The  Archbishop's  practice 
agreed  with  his  recommendation.  He  was  particularly  con- 
versant with  the  Book  of  Psalms,  and  sometimes  spoke  of  it  as 
a  '  bundle '  of  myrrh  that  ought  to  be  day  and  night  '  in  the 
bosom.'  A  letter  of  his  nephew's  has  been  preserved,  in 
which  he  records  of  his  saintly  uncle  :  '  Scarce  a  line  in  that 
sacred  Psalter  that  hath  passed  without  the  stroke  of  his 
pen.'"^ 

Bishop  Sa7iderson  of  Lincoln  (1663).  —  'The  Psalms  of 
David  are  the  treasury  of  Christian  comfort,  fitted  for  all 
persons  and  necessities ;  able  to  raise  the  soul  from  dejection 
by  the  frequent  mention  of  God's  mercies  to  repentant 
sinners,  to  stir  up  holy  desires,  to  increase  joy,  to  moderate 
sorrow,  to  nourish  hope  and  teach  us  patience,  by  waiting 
God's  leisure,  to  beget  a  trust  in  the  mercy,  power,  and  provi- 
dence of  our  Creator,  and  to  cause  a  resignation  of  ourselves 
to  His  will,  and  then,  and  not  till  then,  to  believe  ourselves 
happy. 't 

Bishop  Home  (1730-1792). — 'Indited  under  the  influence 
of  Him  to  whom  all  hearts  are  known,  and  events  foreknown, 
they  suit  mankind  in  all  situations,  grateful  as  the  manna 
which  descended  from  above,  and  conformed  itself  to  every 
palate.  .  .  .  He  who  hath  once  tasted  their  excellencies  will 
desire  to  taste  them  again,  and  he  who  tastes  them  oftenest 
will  relish  them  best.  And  now,  could  the  author  flatter 
himself  that  anyone  would  take  half  the  pleasure  in  reading 
the  following  exposition  which  he  hath  taken  in  writing  it, 

*  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity^  pp.  242,  243, 
t  Life  of  Dr.  Sanderson,  by  Izaak  Walton,  p.  381. 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  7 

he  would  not  fear  the  loss  of  his  labour.  The  employment 
detached  him  from  the  bustle  and  hurry  of  life,  the  din  of 
politics,  and  the  noise  of  folly ;  vanity  and  vexation  flew  away 
for  a  season,  care  and  disquietude  came  not  near  his  dwelling. 
He  arose,  fresh  as  the  morning,  to  his  task  ;  the  silence  of 
the  night  invited  him  to  pursue  it,  and  he  can  truly  say  that 
food  and  rest  were  not  preferred  before  it.  Every  Psalm 
improved  infinitely  upon  his  acquaintance  with  it,  and  no  one 
gave  him  uneasiness  but  the  last,  for  then  he  grieved  that  his 
work  was  done.  Happier  hours  than  those  which  have  been 
spent  in  these  meditations  on  the  songs  of  Zion,  he  never 
expects  to  see  in  this  world.  Very  pleasantly  did  they  pass, 
and  moved  smoothly  and  swiftly  along,  for  when  thus  engaged 
he  counted  no  time.  They  are  gone,  but  have  left  a  relish 
of  a  fragrance  upon  the  mind,  and  the  remembrance  of  them 
is  sweet.'* 

y.  G.  Von  Herder  (i 744-1803).  —  'Not  merely  as  regards 
the  contents,  but  also  as  regards  the  form,  has  this  use  of  the 
Psalter  been  a  benefit  to  the  spirit  and  heart  of  men.  As  in 
no  lyric  poet  of  Greece  or  Rome  do  we  find  so  much  teaching, 
consolation,  and  instruction  together,  so  has  there  scarcely 
ever  been  anywhere  so  rich  a  variation  of  tone  in  every  kind 
of  song  as  here.  For  two  thousand  years  have  these  old 
Psalms  been  again  and  again  translated  and  imitated  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  and  still  so  rich,  so  comprehensive  is  their 
manner,  that  they  are  capable  of  many  a  new  application. 
They  are  flowers  which  vary  according  to  each  season  and 
each  soil,  and  ever  abide  in  the  freshness  of  youth.  Precisely 
because  this  Book  contains  the  simplest  lyric  tones  for  the 
expression  of  the  most  manifold  feelings,  is  it  a  hymn-book 
for  all  times.'t 

William  Wilberforce  (i 759-1 788).  —  'I  am  reading  the 
Psalms  just  now,'  writes  Mr.  Wilberforce  in  hi^  Journal  (1803). 
'  What  wonderful  compositions  !  what  a  proof  of  the  Divine 

•^  Bishop  Home's  Preface  to  his  Commentary. 

+  Abhandlunge7i  und  Briefen  zurschonen  Literatur.  Sammtliche  Werke, 
th.  xvi.,  p.  17. 


3  PSALM.MOSAICS 

origin  of  the  religion  to  which  they  belong  !  There  is  in  the 
world  nothing  else  like  them.' 

Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge  (1772- 1834). — Those  were  memor- 
able words  which  Mr.  Coleridge  wrote  upon  the  margin  of 
his  Prayer-Book  :  '  As  a  transparency  on  some  night  of  pubUc 
rejoicing,  seen  by  common  day,  with  the  lamps  from  within 
removed,  even  such  would  the  Psalms  be  to  me,  uninterpreted 
by  the  Gospel.'* 

La'fiartine  (1790). — '  David  is  the  first  of  the  poets  of  feeling 
— the  king  of  lyrists.  Never  has  the  thought  of  poet  risen  so 
high  and  pure.  Never  has  the  soul  opened  before  man  and 
God  in  language  so  tender,  so  sympathetic  and  moving.  All 
the  secret  cries  of  the  human  heart  have  found  a  voice  through 
his  lips.  If  we  think  of  the  lyric  poets  of  the  most  cultivated 
nations  of  antiquity,  singing  of  wine,  love,  blood,  the  victories 
of  mules  and  horses  in  the  fields  of  Elis,  we  are  seized  with 
profound  astonishment  at  the  mysterious  utterances  of  the 
shepherd-prophet,  who  speaks  with  God  as  a  friend,  who 
praises  His  wonders,  admires  His  justice,  entreats  His  mercy, 
and  seems  to  be  an  anticipating  echo  of  the  poetry  of  the 
Gospel,  repeating  the  loving  words  of  Christ  before  He  had 
heard  them.  Read  Greek  or  Latin  lyrics  after  a  Psalm,  they 
turn  pale.' 

Edward  Irving  (i 792-1 834).— 'The  songs  of  Zion  are  com- 
prehensive as  the  human  soul  and  varied  as  human  life.  Where 
no  possible  state  of  natural  feeling  shall  not  find  itself  tenderly 
expressed  and  divinely  treated  with  appropriate  remedies, 
where  no  condition  of  human  life  shall  not  find  its  rebuke  and 
consolation,  because  they  treat  not  life  after  the  fashion  of  an 
age  or  people,  but  life  in  its  rudiments — the  life  of  the  soul — ■ 
with  the  joys  and  sorrows  to  which  it  is  amenable,  from  con- 
course with  the  outward  necessity  of  the  fallen  world.  Which 
breadth  of  application  they  compass  not  by  the  sacrifice  of 
lyrical  propriety  or  poetical  method ;  for  if  there  be  poems 
stricdy  lyrical,  that  is,  whose  spirit  and  sentiment  move  con- 
*  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity^  p.  67. 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  g 

genial  with  the  movements  of  music,  and  which,  by  their  very 
nature,  call  for  the  accompaniment  of  music,  these  odes  of  a 
people  despised  as  illiterate  are  such.  For  pure  pathos  and 
tenderness  of  heart ;  for  sublime  imagination ;  for  touching 
pictures  of  natural  scenery  and  genial  sympathy  with  nature's 
various  moods ;  for  patriotism,  whether  in  national  weal  or 
national  woe;  for  beautiful  imagery,  whether  derived  from 
the  relationship  of  human  life,  or  the  forms  of  the  created 
universe,  and  for  the  illustration,  by  their  help,  of  spiritual 
conditions ;  moreover,  for  those  rapid  transitions  in  which 
the  lyrical  muse  delighteth,  her  lightsome  graces  at  one  time, 
her  deep  and  full  inspiration  at  another,  her  exuberance  of 
joy,  and  her  lowest  falls  of  grief,  and  for  every  other  form  of 
the  natural  soul  which  is  wont  to  be  shadowed  forth  by  this 
kind  of  composition,  we  challenge  anything  to  be  produced 
from  the  literature  of  all  ages  and  countries  worthy  to  be  com- 
pared with  what  we  find  even  in  the  English  Version  of  the 
Book  of  Psalms.'"^ 

Thomas  Carlyle  (1795-1881). — 'On  the  whole,  we  make  too 
much  of  faults  ;  the  details  of  the  business  hide  the  real  centre 
of  it.  Faults  ?  The  greatest  of  faults,  I  should  say,  is  to  be 
conscious  of  none.  Readers  of  the  Bible  above  all,  one  would 
think,  might  know  better.  Who  is  called  there  "the  man 
according  to  God's  own  heart"?  David,  the  Hebrew  king, 
had  fallen  into  sins  enough — blackest  crimes  ;  there  was  no 
want  of  sins.  And  thereupon  the  unbelievers  sneer,  and  ask, 
Is  this  your  man  according  to  God's  heart?  The  sneer,  I 
must  say,  seems  to  me  but  a  shallow  one.  AVhat  are  faults 
what  are  the  outward  details  of  a  life,  if  the  inner  secret  of 
it,  the  remorse,  temptations,  true,  often-baffled,  never-ended 
struggle  of  it,  be  forgotten  ?  "  It  is  not  in  man  that  walketh 
to  direct  his  steps."  Of  all  acts,  is  not,  for  a  man,  repentance 
the  most  Divine?  The  deadliest  sin,  I  say,  were  that  same 
supercilious  consciousness  of  no  sin — that  is  death  ;  the  heart 
so  conscious  is  divorced  from  sincerity,  humility,  and  fact ;  is 
*  Collected  Works,  vol.  i.,  pp.  386,  387. 


lo  PSALM-MOSAICS 

dead  :  it  is  "  pure  "  as  dead  dry  sand  is  pure.  David's  life  and 
history,  as  written  for  us  in  those  Psalms  of  his,  I  consider  to 
be  the  truest  emblem  ever  given  of  a  man's  moral  progress  and 
warfare  here  below.  All  earnest  souls  will  ever  discern  in  it 
the  faithful  struggle  of  an  earnest  human  soul  toward  what  is 
good  and  best.  Struggle  often  baffled,  sore  baffled,  down  as 
into  entire  wreck,  yet  a  struggle  never  ended  ;  ever,  with  tears, 
repentance,  true  unconquerable  purpose,  begun  anew.  Poor 
human  nature  !  Isn't  a  man's  walking,  in  truth,  always  that : 
"  a  succession  of  falls  "?  Man  can  do  no  other.  In  this  wild 
element  of  a  Life,  he  has  to  struggle  onward,  now  fallen,  deep 
abased,  and  ever,  with  tears,  repentance,  with  bleeding  heart, 
he  has  to  rise  again,  struggle  again  still  upwards.  That  his 
struggle  ^e  a  faithful  unconquerable  one,  that  is  the  question 
of  questions.  We  will  put  up  with  many  sad  details  if  the  soul 
of  it  were  true.  Details  by  themselves  will  never  teach  us 
what  it  is.'* 

/oAn  Mueller  (Historian). — '  David  yields  to  me  every  day 
the  most  delightful  hour.  There  is  nothing  Greek,  nothing 
Roman,  nothing  in  the  West,  nor  in  the  land  towards  mid- 
night, to  equal  David,  whom  the  God  of  Israel  chose  to  praise 
Him  higher  than  the  gods  of  the  nations.  The  utterance  of 
his  mind  sinks  deep  into  the  heart,  and  never  in  my  life,  never 
have  I  thus  seen  God.' 

JoJm  Jacob  Moser  (1785).  — 

Dr.  Tholuck  says  :  'As  belonging  to  modern  times,  the  words  of  the 
celebrated  politician,  John  Jacob  Moser,  equally  renowned  as  a  statesman 
and  experienced  as  a  Christian,  are  worthy  of  special  notice.  He  had  been 
engaged  in  severe  struggles  for  the  rights  of  his  country,  and  had  been  on 
that  account  unlawfully  imprisoned  by  his  sovereign  for  a  period  of 
five  years,  during  which  the  Bible  and  hymn-book  were  his  sole  com- 
panions. The  Psalms  made  him  understand  his  position.  In  harmony 
with  the  voices  of  every  century,  he  says  : 

'Oh,  how  precious  and  dear  was  the  possession  of  the 
Psalms ;  how  much  comfort,  light,  and  strength  have  they  im- 

*  Heroes  and  Hero- Worships  Lect.  ii.,  p.  43. 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  ii 

parted  to  my  fainting  soul !  I  often  not  only  missed  the  way, 
but  lost  the  very  trace  of  it.  I  sat  me  down  as  if  I  had 
become  petrified.  One  word  from  the  Psalms  was  a  sunbeam 
to  me.  Like  a  lark  I  settled  on  the  pinions  of  that  eagle ; 
carried  by  her,  I  scaled  the  rock,  and  beheld  from  that 
eminence  the  world,  with  its  cares  and  ?7itfie,  stretched  out 
beneath  me.  I  acquired  to  think,  infer,  mourn,  pray,  wait, 
hope,  and  speak  in  the  spirit  of  David  :  "I  thank  Thee, 
O  Lord,  that  Thou  hast  humbled  me."  I  acquired  to 
know  and  understand  the  rights  of  God  —  His  purposes 
of  love  and  faithfulness  to  every  man,  but  especially  to 
myself — His  mighty  wisdom  towards  us  His  creatures  in 
our  present  state  of  probation,  as  well  as  the  blessedness, 
benefit,  and  necessity  of  sufferings  for  our  cleansing,  purifica- 
tion, and  perfection.  I  learned  to  esteem  myself  happy  in 
being  permitted  to  endure  suffering.  I  attained  to  a  better 
knowledge  of  the  wisdom  and  love  of  God.  ...  I  learned  to 
trust  God  in  all  my  ways,  and  to  renounce  the  claims  of  fame, 
honour,  and  comfort.  ...  I  learned  to  become  more  con- 
tented in  my  desires,  more  moderate  in  my  enjoyments.  I 
was  enabled  with  tears  to  express  my  gratitude  for  mercies 
which  formerly  I  counted  not  as  blessings,  but  as  my  right  and 
due. 

'  If  my  soul  would  keep  holy  day,  the  Psalms  became  my 
temple  and  my  altar.  Next  to  the  writings  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, they  are  now  to  me  my  dearest  and  most  precious  book 
— the  golden  mirror,  the  cyclopaedia  of  the  most  blessed  and 
fruitful  knowledge  and  experience  of  my  life :  to  thoroughly 
understand  them  will  be  the  occupation  of  eternity,  and  our 
second  life  will  form  their  commentary.' 

Dean  Milman  (i 791-1868). — 'The  Psalms  may  be  called  a 
prophetic  manual  of  Christian  prayer.' 

F.  W.  Robertson  (1816-1853).— 'The  value  of  the  public 
reading  of  the  Psalms  is,  that  they  express  for  us,  indirectly, 
those  deeper  feelings  which  there  would  be  a  sense  of  indelicacy 
in  expressing  directly.  .  .  .  There  are  feelings  of  which  we  do 


12  PSALM-MOSAICS 

not  speak  to  each  other ;  they  are  too  sacred  and  too  delicate. 
Such  are  most  of  our  feehngs  to  God.  If  we  do  speak  of  them, 
they  lose  their  fragrance,  become  coarse ;  nay,  there  is  even  a 
sense  of  indelicacy  and  exposure.  Now,  the  Psalms  afford 
precisely  the  right  relief  for  this  feeling ;  wrapped  up  in  the 
forms  of  poetry  (metaphor,  etc.),  that  which  might  seem  ex- 
aggerated is  excused  by  those  who  do  not  feel  it,  while  they 
who  do,  can  read  them,  applying  them  without  suspicion  of 
uttering  f/ieir  ow?i  feelings.  Hence  their  soothing  power,  and 
hence,  while  other  portions  of  Scripture  may  become  obsolete, 
they  remain  the  most  precious  parts  of  the  Old  Testament. 
For  the  heart  of  man  is  the  same  in  all  ages.' 

'  It  is  this  truth  of  human  feeling  which  makes  the  Psalms 
more  than  any  other  portion  of  the  Old  Testament  the  link 
of  union  between  distant  ages.  The  historical  books  need  a 
rich  store  of  knowledge  before  they  can  be  a  modern  book  of 
life  ;  but  the  Psalms  are  the  records  of  individual  experience. 
Personal  religion  is  the  same  in  all  ages.  The  deeps  of  our 
humanity  remain  unruffled  by  the  storms  of  ages  which  change 
the  surface.  This  Psalm  (the  Fifty-first),  written  three  thou- 
sand years  ago,  might  have  been  written  yesterday,  describes 
the  vicissitudes  of  spiritual  life  in  an  Englishman  as  truly  as  in 
a  Jew,  "Not  of  an  age,  but  for  all  time.'""^ 

Archbishop  Gerbet  of  Perpignan. — '  He  only  who  knows  the 
number  of  the  waves  of  the  ocean  and  the  abundance  of  tears 
in  the  human  eye.  He  who  sees  the  sighs  of  the  heart  before 
they  are  uttered,  and  who  hears  them  still  when  they  are  hushed 
into  silence — He  alone  can  tell  how  many  holy  emotions,  how 
many  heavenly  vibrations,  have  been  produced,  and  will  ever 
be  produced,  in  the  souls  of  men  by  the  reverberation  of  these 
marvellous  strains,  of  these  predestinated  hymns,  read,  medi- 
tated, sung  in  every  hour  of  day  and  night,  in  every  winding  of 
the  vale  of  tears.  The  Psalter  of  David  is  like  a  mystic  harp, 
hung  on  the  walls  of  the  true  Zion.  Under  the  breath  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  it  sends  forth  its  infinite  varieties  of  devotion, 
'■'^Sermons  IX.  and  VII.  (Second  Series),  pp.  119,  96. 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  13 

which,  rolling  on  from  echo  to  echo,  from  soul  to  soul,  awakes 
in  each  a  separate  note,  mingling  in  that  one  prolonged  voice 
of  thankfulness  and  penitence,  praise  and  prayer,'"^ 

A.  Monod. — '  We  must  read  the  Psalms  in  order  to  under- 
stand the  sufferings  of  David.  The  Psalms  discover  to  us  the 
inner  man  of  David,  and  in  the  inner  man  of  David  they  dis- 
cover to  us  in  some  sort  the  inner  man  of  all  the  prophets  of 
God.  Well,  the  Psalms  are  full  of  expressions  of  an  unheard- 
of  suffering.  David  speaks  in  them  constantly  of  his  evils,  his 
sicknesses,  his  enemies  without  number  :  we  can  scarcely  under- 
stand, in  reading  them,  what  he  means  by  the  enemies  of  which 
he  speaks  so  constantly ;  but  they  discover  to  us  at  least  an 
inner  depth  of  affliction,  of  which,  with  the  mere  history  of 
David  in  our  hands,  we  should  scarcely  have  formed  an  idea. 
It  is  one  of  the  great  advantages  of  the  Psalms.' 

'  The  capital  object  of  the  mission  which  David  received  of 
God  for  all  generations  in  the  Church  was  the  composition  of 
Psalms.  Well,  he  composes  his  Psalms,  or  a  great  part  of  them, 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  cruel  sufferings.  Imagine,  then, 
bowed  down  by  suffering,  physical,  moral  and  spiritual,  you 
were  called  upon  to  compose  a  Psalm,  and  that  from  the  bosom 
of  all  these  sufferings,  and  at  the  very  moment  when  they  were 
such  as  those  which  he  describes  in  Ps.  xxxviii.,  should  issue 
hymns  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  for  the  instruction  of  the  Church. 

'  What  a  triumph  David  gains  over  himself,  and  what  a 
humiliation  it  is  for  us,  who  in  our  weakness  are  mostly  obliged 
to  wait  till  our  sufferings  are  passed,  in  order  to  reap  the  fruit 
of  them  ourselves,  or  to  impart  the  benefit  to  others  !  But 
David,  in  the  midst  of  his  sufferings,  writes  his  Psalms.  He 
writes  his  thirty-eighth  Psalm  whilst  he  undergoes  those  perse- 
cutions, those  inward  torments,  that  bitterness  of  sin.  I  know 
it  may  be  said  that  David  wrote  that  thirty-eighth  Psalm  coldly, 
transporting  himself  into  sufferings  which  he  did  not  feel  at  the 
time,  as  the  poet  transports  himself  into  sufferings  which  he  has 

*  Dogme  de  la  Penitence,  243  ;  by  Gerbet,  the  late  Archbishop  of  Per- 
pignan. 


14 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


never  experienced ;  but  no,  such  a  supposition  offends  you  as 
much  as  it  does  me:  it  is  in  the  furnace,  it  is  from  the  bosom 
of  the  furnace,  that  he  writes  these  lines,  which  are  intended  to 
be  the  encouragement  of  the  Church  in  all  ages.  O  power  of 
the  love  of  Christ  !  O  renunciation  of  self-will !  O  grace  of 
the  true  servant  of  God  !  O  virtue  of  the  Apostle,  and  virtue 
of  the  Prophet,  virtue  of  Christ  in  them,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  !  For  never  man  (of  himself)  would  be  capable  of  such 
a  power  of  will,  of  such  a  triumph  over  the  flesh.'"^ 

Hengstenberg  (1848). — 'The  Book  of  Psalms  is  full  of  the 
noblest  testimonies  to  the  being  of  God  and  His  perfections. 
It  has  contributed  in  this  respect  vast  materials  for  developing 
the  religious  consciousness  of  God,  and  the  Christian  Church 
rests  far  more  upon  them  for  its  apprehensions  of  God  than 
might  at  first  sight  be  supposed.  To  perceive  to  what  an  extent 
this  is  the  case,  we  have  only  to  search  out  the  traces  of  the 
Psalms  in  our  liturgies  and  Church-songs.  Even  the  French 
Deists,  the  theo-philanthropists,  sworn  enemies  of  the  Bible, 
could  only  make  out  their  liturgy  by  the  help  of  the  Psalms. 
This  is  one  chief  reason  why  the  Psalter  is  so  precious  to  the 
afflicted.  It  presents  God  so  clearly  and  vividly  before  their 
eyes  that  they  see  Him  in  a  manner  with  their  bodily  sight,  and 
find  thereby  the  sting  taken  from  their  pains.  In  this,  too,  lies 
one  great  element  of  the  importance  of  the  Psalter  for  the 
present  times.  What  men  now  most  of  all  need  is,  that  the 
blanched  image  of  God  should  again  be  freshened  up  in  them. 
The  more  closely  we  connect  ourselves  with  the  Psalms,  the 
more  will  God  cease  to  be  to  us  a  shadowy  form,  which  can 
neither  hear,  nor  help,  nor  judge  us,  and  to  which  we  can 
present  no  suppHcation.' 

Thomas  Erskine,  of  Linlathen.f — He  was  in  the  habit  of 

*  Adieux  a  ses  Amis,  etc.,  pp.  101-106,  7th  edit.,  Paris,  1859. 

f  Of  Thomas  Erskine,  of  Linlathen,  Dean  Stanley  has  said  :  '  Presby- 
terian by  his  paternal  connection  with  the  author  of  the  histihites  and  the 
minister  of  Greyfriars,  Episcopalian  by  his  maternal  descent  and  by  his 
early  education,  it  came  to  pass  that  in  later  life,  whilst  still  delighting  in 
the  occasional  services  and  ministrations  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  15 

reading  in  the  family  devotions  the  Psalms  and  Lessons  as  they 
occur  in  the  calendar  of  the  Church  of  England.  He  used  to 
say :  '  I  greatly  value  the  fixed  order  in  which  this  calendar 
induces  me  to  go  through  the  various  parts  of  the  Bible,  irre- 
spectively of  my  own  predilection  or  fancies ;'  and  then  he 
would  add,  with  a  twinkle  of  his  peculiar  humour,  '  And  this,  I 
think,  is  the  one  single  spiritual  benefit  which  I  have  derived 
from  the  Church  of  England.  .   .  .' 

'  How  natural  and  free  are  the  expressions  of  the  Psalms ! 
They  begin  with  that  great  universal  benediction  on  the 
upright,  honest  man,  "  the  noblest  work  of  God,"  and  they  end 
with  the  generous  universal  invocation  of  all  nature,  "Let 
everything  that  hath  breath  " — every  creature,  without  limit  or 
exception — "praise  the  Lord." 

'How  admirable  are  the  90th,  91st,  and  103rd  Psalms! 
Never,  surely,  were  any  writings  like  those  of  David  !  Do  tell 
me,  you  who  know  history,  has  any  other  king  written  any- 
thing of  the  kind?  Listen  to  the  23rd  Psalm  !  Listen  to  the 
ist  Psalm  !'  And  he  then  repeated  both  these  from  memory  in 
Hebrew. 

His  biographer.  Dr.  William  Hanna,  says  that  in  his  last 
hours  '  the  Psalms  were  much  upon  his  lips.  For  more  than 
fifty  years  they  had  been  his  daily  study  and  delight,  the 
cadence  of  many  of  their  well-known  verses  the  softest, 
sublimest  music  to  his  ear.  And  now  they  refreshed  his  soul 
in  death.  The  20th,  25th,  26th,  27th,  31st,  32nd,  62nd,  73rd, 
86th,  103rd,  ii6th,  130th,  and  T39th  were  special  favourites ; 
recited  by  himself  with  deep  solemnity  of  tone,  or,  when  voice 
failed,  listened  to  and  re-echoed  as  repeated  to  him  by  others.'-^ 
/ohfi  Eadie  (1868). — Dr.  John  Eadie,  in  his  English  Bible, 


enjoying  to  the  last  the  tender  care  of  an  Episcopalian  curate,  he  yet  fre- 
quented the  worship  and  teaching  of  the  National  Church,  both  in  country 
and  in  town — a  living  proof  of  the  effacement  of  those  boundary  lines 
which,  before  the  exasperations  of  our  latter  days,  were  to  many  of  the 
best  Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians  almost  as  if  they  did  not  exist.'  His 
Letters  \\dL\Q.  been  edited  by  Dr.  William  Hanna. 
*  Letters  of  Thomas  Erskine,  pp.  455,456,  503,  504. 


i6  PSALM.MOSAICS 

after  relating  how  the  Gospels  were  rendered  in  early  ages  into 
our  mother-tongue,  goes  on  to  say  :  '  But  the  favourite  portion 
of  Scripture  for  translation  in  these  times,  as  in  all  times,  was 
the  Psalms  :  and  one  can  scarcely  wonder  at  the  preference. 
The  melody  of  the  Psalmist  has  many  moods,  but  song  is  ever 
the  genuine  outburst  of  his  heart,  and  the  reader  is  lured  into 
living  sympathy  with  it ;  nay,  as  it  throbs  underneath  the  page, 
he  is  brought  into  immediate  fellowship  with  the  singer,  and 
not  with  his  shadow.  For  the  singer  himself,  in  his  various 
changes,  is  embodied  in  his  Psalms,  whether  he  sinks  in  deep 
contrition,  or  soars  away  in  spiritual  rapture  ;  whether  he  extols 
mercy,  or  sinks  into  awe  before  judgment ;  or  whether  he  lays 
his  sword  and  sceptre  at  the  foot  of  the  throne  in  offer  of  suit 
and  service,  or  in  acknowledgment  that  the  kingdom  and  the 
victory  are  alike  from  God.  The  Psalter  is  the  poetry  of 
spiritual  life ;  its  beauty,  power  and  freshness  never  fail,  for  it 
does  not  consist  of  abstract  impersonal  effusions,  or  of  subjec- 
tive theological  dogmas.  Difference  of  age  and  country  at  once 
fades  away.  Therefore  the  Psalms  have  always  been  cherished 
companions,  not  simply  because  they  are  a  body  of  Divine 
truth  bearing  on  man's  highest  interests,  but  because  they  come 
home  to  human  experiences,  and  tenderly  touch  them  on  so 
many  points  ;  because  they  are  not  only  the  true  elements  of 
public  worship,  but  may  also  be  murmured  in  earnest  soliloquy 
as  the  spirit  of  confidence  and  joyousness  Hfts  itself  to  God.' 

Joseph  Francis  Thnipp. — The  love  which  the  Church  in  her 
public  devotions  has  universally  displayed  for  the  Psalter  has 
been  only  equalled  by  the  love  with  which  her  children  have  in 
general  individually  regarded  it.  It  has  become  familiar  to 
them  in  childhood,  it  has  followed  them  to  the  grave  ;  con- 
tinually sounding  in  their  ears,  and  nursing  their  truest  hopes 
with  the  sweetness  of  its  strains ;  soothing  the  din  of  earthly 
noise,  and  attuning  their  hearts  to  heavenly  melody ;  suggest- 
ing to  them  a  spirit  of  praise,  or  of  prayer ;  often  enabling 
them  consciously  to  pray  when  otherwise  they  would  have  been 
at  a  loss  how  to  pray ;  often  imparting  a  definiteness  to  heaven- 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER         17 

ward  thoughts  of  which  otherwise  they  would  scarcely  have 
been  conscious  at  all.  Not  a  scene  in  their  life  has  passed  but 
what  they  have  found  in  it  one  or  other  passage  echoing  the 
aspirations  of  their  hearts  ;  whether  it  were  that  they  praised 
God  '  in  the  congregation  of  saints,'  or  in  the  privacy  of  their 
chambers  '  poured  out  their  souls  in  them ';  whether  they 
'  shouted  for  joy,'  or  '  mourned  in  their  complaint ';  whether 
they  'went  forth  to  their  work  and  to  their  labour,'  or  'laid 
them  down  and  slept ';  whether  they  '  returned  unto  their  rest,' 
or  '  were  feeble  and  sore  broken ';  whether  they  yet  '  walked 
before  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living,'  or  in  the  agony  of 
death  '  into  His  hands  committed  their  spirits.'  Yet,  however 
precious  the  music  of  the  Psalter  to  their  souls,  it  is  in  general 
to  the  early  teaching  of  their  mother  the  Church  that  they  are 
mainly  indebted  for  the  knowledge  of  it :  it  is  the  regular  repe- 
tition of  it  in  her  daily  services  which  has  brought  its  language 
home  to  every  lip  and  every  heart."^ 

A.  H.  Franke. — The  man  who  has  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ, 
nor  denies  himself,  nor  daily  takes  up  his  cross  and  follows 
Christ,  has  no  relish  for  the  Psalms.  They  gladden  not  his 
heart,  but  appear  to  him  like  withered  straw — altogether  stale. 
But  let  him  be  brought  into  similar  courses  of  affliction  and 
suffering,  and  experience  the  sneers  and  mockery  of  the  world 
for  righteousness  and  Christ's  sake — let  him  find  out  the 
difficulty  of  the  task  to  surmount  every  obstacle  from  within 
and  from  without,  and  yet  serve  the  Lord  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth — and  he  will  learn  that  David's  heart  underwent  other 
struggles  besides  those  which  sprung  from  his  external  relations. 
He  will  mark  in  his  daily  warfare  the  same  enmity  which  God 
has  appointed  to  take  place  between  Christ  and  Belial,  and 
between  the  followers  of  Christ  and  the  followers  of  Satan, 
and  find  that  struggle  expressed  in  the  Psalms — as  the  very 
first,  in  fact,  states  it :  '  Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in 
the  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners, 
nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful.     But  his  delight  is  in  the 

*  Introduction  to  the  Fsalms,  p.  3. 

2 


1 8  PSALM-MOSAICS 

law  of  the  Lord  ;  and  in  His  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and 
night.  And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of 
water.'  He,  then,  who  is  resolved  to  deny  himself,  to  part  with 
the  world,  her  pomp  and  riches,  and  the  favour  of  man,  to  take 
the  Word  of  God  for  his  sole  guide,  and  carry  a  peaceful  con- 
science to  his  dying  bed,  will  experience  the  intensity  of  the 
struggle  which  is  required,  and  learn  rightly  to  understand  the 
Psalms."^ 

Franz  Delitzsch  (187 1). — 'This  book  has  no  equal  in  the 
expanse  of  time  which  it  reflects,  beginning  with  the  wanderings 
in  the  wilderness,  1,450  years  before  Christ,  and  reaching 
down  to  the  building  of  the  second  temple,  800  years  later.  It 
is  without  equal  in  the  richness  of  the  form  and  feeling  of  its 
poetry,  for  freshness  of  spirit  and  outpouring  of  the  deepest 
emotion,  from  still,  soft  prayer  to  the  triumphant  hymn  of 
victory.  To  this  we  may  add  that  it  is  without  equal  for  the 
richness  of  its  contents.  It  embraces  nature  and  history, 
heaven  and  earth,  the  world  around  and  the  world  within  us, 
the  experience  of  each  and  all  from  the  darkest  abyss  of  trial 
to  the  summit  of  celestial  joy.  It  is  unequalled  in  the  depth  of 
its  secret  soul-experience,  and  the  power  of  expressing  it — not 
the  palpable  and  superficial,  but  the  root-secrets  of  the  inmost 
life,  ideal  and  real,  abstract  and  concrete,  universal  and  indi- 
vidual— and  so  it  possesses  for  the  understanding  of  each 
reader,  and  for  the  inquiry  of  the  commentator,  a  growing  at- 
traction towards  something  ever  fresh  and  new.  If  it  is  the 
peculiarity  of  the  classic  that  the  oftener  it  is  read  the  more 
beautiful  and  full  of  meaning  it  becomes,  then  are  the  Psalms 
classic  in  the  highest  degree.' 

W.  E.  Gladstone. — But  most  of  all  does  the  Book  of  Psalms 
refuse  the  challenge  of  philosophical  or  poetical  compositions. 
In  that  book  for  well-nigh  3,000  years  the  piety  of  Saints  has 
found  its  most  refined  and  choicest  food — to  such  a  degree, 
indeed,  that  the  rank  and  quality  of  the  religious  frame  may,  in 
general,  be  tested  at  least  negatively  by  the  height  of  its  relish 
*  Devotional  Exposition  of  the  Psalms. 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALVE  OR  THE  PSALTER         19 

for  them.  There  is  the  whole  music  of  the  human  heart,  when 
touched  by  the  hand  of  the  Maker,  in  all  its  tones  that  whisper 
or  that  swell,  for  every  hope  and  fear,  for  every  joy  and  pang, 
for  every  form  of  strength  and  languor,  of  disquietude  and  rest. 
Then  are  developed  all  the  innermost  relations  of  the  human 
soul  to  God,  built  upon  the  platform  of  a  covenant  of  love  and 
sonship  that  had  its  foundation  in  the  Messiah,  while  in  this 
particular  and  privileged  book  it  was  permitted  to  anticipate  His 
coming.^ 

Bishop  Perowne. — Deep  as  is  the  interest  attaching  to  the 
Psalter  as  the  great  storehouse  of  Sacred  Poetry,  and  vast  as  is 
its  importance  considered  as  a  record  of  spiritual  life  under  the 
Old  Dispensation,  scarcely  less  interest  and  importance  attach  to 
it  with  reference  to  the  position  it  has  ever  occupied  both  in  the 
public  worship  of  the  Church  and  in  the  private  life  of  Chris- 
tians. No  single  book  of  Scripture,  not  even  of  the  New 
Testament,  has  perhaps  ever  taken  such  hold  on  the  heart  of 
Christendom.  None,  if  we  may  dare  judge,  unless  it  be  the 
Gospels,  has  had  so  large  an  influence  in  moulding  the  affec- 
tions, sustaining  the  hopes,  purifying  the  faith  of  believers. 
With  its  words,  rather  than  with  their  own,  they  have  come 
before  God.  In  these  they  have  uttered  their  desires,  their 
fears,  their  confessions,  their  aspirations,  their  sorrows,  their 
joys,  their  thanksgivings.  By  these  their  devotion  has  been 
kindled  and  their  hearts  comforted.  The  Psalter  has  been, 
in  the  truest  sense,  the  Prayer-Book  both  of  Jews  and  Chris- 
tians. 

The  nature  of  the  volume  accounts  for  this,  for  it  is  in 
itself,  to  a  very  great  extent,  the  converse  of  the  soul  with 
God.  Hence  it  does  not  teach  us  so  much  what  we  are  to  do, 
or  what  we  are  to  be,  as  how  we  are  to  pray,  or,  rather,  it 
teaches  us  what  we  are  to  do  and  to  be  through  prayer.  '  This,' 
says  Luther,  '  is  the  great  excellence  of  the  Psalter  ;  that  other 
books,  indeed,  make  a  great  noise  about  the  ivorks  of  the 
saints,  but  say  very  little  about  their  words.  But  herein  is  the 
*  SHidies  on  Homer  and  the  Homeric  Age,  1858,  vol.  ii.  p.  526. 


20  PSALM-MOSAICS 

pre-eminence  of  the  Psalter,  and  hence  the  sweet  fragrance 
which  it  sheds,  that  it  not  only  tells  of  the  works  of  the  saints, 
but  also  of  the  words  with  which  they  spake  to  God  and  prayed, 
and  still  speak  and  pray.' 

'  The  history  of  the  Psalms  is  the  history  of  the  Church,  and 
the  history  of  every  heart  in  which  has  burned  the  love  of  God. 
It  is  a  history  not  fully  revealed  in  this  world,  but  one  which  is 
written  in  heaven.  It  is  a  history  which,  could  we  know  it, 
might  teach  us  to  hush  many  an  angry  thought,  to  recall  many 
a  bitter,  hasty,  uncharitable  speech.  The  pages  of  that  Book 
have  often  been  blotted  with  the  tears  of  those  whom  others 
deemed  hard  and  cold,  and  whom  they  treated  with  suspicion 
or  contempt.  Those  words  have  gone  up  to  God,  mingled 
with  the  sighs  or  scarcely  uttered  in  the  heart-broken  anguish 
of  those  whom  Pharisees  called  sinners,  of  those  whom  Chris- 
tians denounced  as  heretics  or  infidels,  but  who  loved  God  and 
truth  above  everything  else.  Surely  it  is  holy  ground.  We 
cannot  pray  the  Psalms  without  realizing  in  a  very  special 
manner  the  communion  of  saints,  the  oneness  of  the  Church 
militant,  and  the  Church  triumphant.  We  cannot  pray  the 
Psalms  without  having  our  hearts  opened,  our  affections  en- 
larged, our  thoughts  drawn  heavenwards.  He  who  can  pray 
them  best  is  nearest  to  God,  knows  most  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ, 
is  ripest  for  heaven.'* 

Bishop  Alexa7ider  of  Derry. — In  David's  Psalms  the  whole 
range  of  Christian  life,  along  the  whole  extent  of  its  most  varied 
phases,  is  provided  for.  Christians  walking  in  something  ot 
the  freshness  of  Baptismal  grace.  Christians  fallen  into  sin  and 
waking  from  the  brief  transport  to  the  agony  and  self-degrada- 
tion, accepted  penitents  calmed  and  soothed — all  find  their 
appropriate  music  in  '  this  lyre  of  sweetest  change,'  struck,  not 
indeed  by  all  '  passion,'  but  by  an  experience  which  comprises 
the  rudimentary  forms  and  outlines  of  all  possible  experience. 

Those  strains  of  prayer  or  praise  spring  freely  from  the  stock 

*   The   Book   of  Psalms^  by  J.    J.   Stewart   Perowne,  vol.   i.,  'chap,  ii., 
PP-  38,  39- 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER         21 

of  David's  life,  and  are  coloured  in  some  degree  by  the  soil  in 
which  their  roots  are  plunged.  Yet  they  are  not  exclusively  the 
record  of  one  life  or  of  one  spirit.  We  know  the  names  of  the 
shapes  that  move  across  the  stage  of  that  fevered  life — Saul, 
Doeg,  Ahitophel,  Shimei,  Joab,  and  the  rest.  Yet  they  are  not 
mentioned.  'Something  sealed  his  lips.'  Some  restraining 
influence  was  at  work  as  effectually  as  if  a  voice  had  said, 
'  These  Psalms  are  to  be  sung  in  centuries  inconceivably 
distant.  They  are  to  be  used  at  funerals  grander  than  Abner's, 
in  temples  vaster  than  your  imagination  has  dreamed  of.  They 
are  to  be  set  to  music  such  as  you  have  never  heard,  under  skies 
upon  which  you  have  never  looked.  They  are  to  be  the 
heritage  of  man  wherever  there  is  sin  or  sorrow ;  wherever 
there  is  a  sigh  of  penitence,  or  a  voice  of  yearning,  offered  up 
to  God.  Keep  them  free,  therefore,  from  that  which  is  merely 
local  and  personal.' 

The  Psalms  are  fitted  for  the  inner  life  of  saints,  first  in  a 
Jewish,  then  in  a  universal  Church.  Believers  under  the  Old 
Dispensation  used  them  as  Jonah  did,  not  merely  repeating 
them,  but  naturally  interweaving  phrase  after  phrase  into  the 
web  of  their  own  thought  and  language.  To  the  Virgin-Mother 
the  Magnificat  proves  that  the  Psalter  was  Bible,  Prayer-Book, 
Hymn-Book  all  in  one.  And  when  we  pass  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  the  different  moods  of  David  and  the  other  Psalmists 
answer  to  the  hearts  of  the  Saints. 

The  soul,  conscious  of  sin  and  yearning  after  pardon ;  the 
soul,  lifted  from  the  dust  and  'liquefying  into  God';  finds  its 
history  in  the  Psalter.  The  end  of  all  the  Psalms  is  '  ut  anima 
conjungatur  Deo ' ;  the  Psalmists  run  with  a  rapid  hand  over 
the  whole  scale  of  the  affections  of  the  human  spirit  seeking 
after  God.  We  may  pass  the  hardest  judgment  upon  David  ; 
yet  the  tenderest,  purest,  saintliest,  most  virgin  souls — Augus- 
tine, St.  Louis,  Ken,  Keble,  Leighton — have  found  nothing 
more  suitable  in  life  or  death  than  words  of  his.  Nay,  it  was 
chiefly  with  them  that  our  All-Holy  Lord  broke  the  silence  of 
Calvary. 


22  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'  The  rank  and  quality  of  the  religious  frame,'  it  has  been 
said  by  a  distinguished  statesman,  *  may  in  general  be  tested,  at 
least  negatively,  by  the  height  of  its  relish  for  the  Psalms.'  They 
may,  indeed,  be  made  to  form  a  delicate  spiritual  thermometer, 
exquisitely  sensitive  to  the  atmosphere  of  our  religious  life. 
We  have  the  Psalms,  and  repeat  them,  in  the  College  Chapel, 
in  the  Parish  Church,  sometimes  with  the  elevating  accessories 
pf  Cathedral  worship,  sometimes 

'  Where  no  organ's  peal 
Invests  the  stern  and  naked  prayer.' 

If  we  have  no  sympathy  with  their  tenderness  or  severity, 
their  penitence  or  joy,  their  words  of  prediction  or  invitations 
to  prayer — if  all  their  sighs  for  Passiontide  and  their  songs  for 
Easter  touch  no  responsive  chords  in  our  souls — if  the  Divine 
Hero  of  the  Messianic  Psalms  speaks  to  us  from  the  Cross  and 
from  the  Throne,  and  we  are  deaf  alike  to  His  pathos  and  His 
majesty — then  we  may  doubt  whether  our  character  is  moulded 
after  the  type  of  saints,  whether  all  is  well  with  us. 

More  than  fifty  generations  of  Christian  believers  bear  wit- 
ness that,  when  we  sing  the  Psalms  with  fair  weather  in  the 
soul,  we  still  hear  sweet  voices  from  distant  hills,  and  the  soft 
sighing  of  an  eternal  sea  that  flows  towards  the  spot  on  which 
we  stand. 

The  great  scholar,  Salmasius,  in  sight  of  death  exclaimed, 
'  Ah,  I  have  lost  an  immensity  of  that  most  precious  thing, 
time.  If  I  had  but  one  year  more,  it  should  be  spent  in 
studying  the  Psalms,  and  St.  Paul's  Epistles.'  To  him 
who  now  addresses  you,  such  an  opportunity  has  been  given, 
as  the  evening  of  his  days  draws  on.  Writing  as  he  has  done, 
in  the  broken  hours  of  a  busy  Hfe  ;  possessed  of  knowledge 
which,  to  students  who  have  given  long  years  to  their  work, 
nmst  appear  poor  indeed ;  he  cannot  regret  the  impulse 
which  led  him  to  undertake  the  task.  The  many  who  know 
much  of  the  Psalter  will  pardon  his  deficiencies  for  the 
sake  of  his  reverential  admiration  of  it.  For  those  who  are 
younger,  their  interest  in  the  Psalms  has  been  the  preacher's 


TESTIMONY  TO  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  PSALTER  23 

greatest  encouragement  and  best  reward.  The  sight  of  that 
gallery  (the  undergraduates' gallery  at  St.  Mary's,  Oxford)  is  one 
which  he  can  never  forget.  My  sons !  love  and  study  the 
Psalter.     You  will  discover  that  it  will  indeed 

'  Requite 
Studious  regard  with  opportune  delight.' 

In  it  you  will  find  Him  Whom  it  is  best  to  know — Jesus, 
your  Lord  and  your  God.  And  as  time  goes  on — when  you 
bow  down  in  penitence ;  when  you  seek  for  pardon  ;  when 
your  head  is  bent  in  sorrow ;  when  you  lie  on  a  bed  of  sick- 
ness ;  when  your  lips  turn  white  and  quiver  as  you  kneel  before 
your  dead  ;  as  the  solemn  hour  comes,  when  your  spirit  must 
pass  into  God's  Presence,  it  has  treasures  which  will  never  fail 
you. 

The  Psalter  is  not  like  a  picture  on  canvas,  upon  whose  sur- 
face only  the  light  falls.  It  may  rather  be  said  to  resemble 
a  picture  on  glass,  where  the  radiance  of  each  day's  sunshine 
is  deeply  interfused  with  the  artist's  work,  where  the  design 
may  be  of  remote  antiquity,  but  the  light  and  glow  are  of  the 
living  Present* 

T/ie  Rev.  H.  N.  Oxe7iham. — What  is  it,  again,  that  gives  to 
the  rolling  music  of  the  Psalter,  which  has  echoed  for  above 
3,000  years  along  the  corridors  of  the  Jewish  or  the  Christian 
Church,  its  peculiar  force  and  charm  ;  a  sweetness  that  never 
wearies,  a  power  that  never  fails,  and  has  fitted  it  to  record  the 
most  various  experiences  of  individuals,  and  of  nations,  to 
syllable  the  deepest  thoughts,  whether  of  joy  or  sorrow,  which 
have  stirred  the  hearts  and  shaped  the  destinies  of  a  hundred 
generations  of  the  chosen  people  of  God  ?  It  is  not  only  that 
marvellous  fulness  and  diversity  of  human  utterance,  that  pro- 
found spirituality,  that  exquisite  refinement  and  tenderness  of 
pathos,  which  strike  a  responsive  chord  in  our  inmost  being, 
that  have  made  the  Psalter  our  most  cherished  manual  of  secret 

*  The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  pp.  122,  123, 
84,  85,  128,  129,  288,  289. 


24  PSALM-MOSAICS         . 

devotion,  the  most  familiar  and  universal  organ  of  our  public 
praise.  It  is  this,  but  it  is  more  than  this  ;  their  inspired  sym- 
pathy with  every  phase  of  the  Redeemer's  lifelong  Passion, 
with  every  sentiment  of  the  Heart,  which  gathered  up  and  re- 
capitulated in  Itself  the  collective  heart  of  Humanity,  has 
made  the  songs  of  Israel  the  rightful  heirloom  and  common 
ritual  of  Christendom.* 

y!  Baldwin  Bronni. — The  Jewish  Psalms,  in  which  is  expressed 
the  very  spirit  of  the  national  life,  have  furnished  the  bridal 
hymns,  the  battle  songs,  the  pilgrim  marches,  the  penitential 
prayers,  and  the  public  praises  of  every  nation  in  Christendom 
since  Christendom  was  born.  These  Psalms  have  rolled  through 
the  din  of  every  great  European  battle-field,  they  have  pealed 
through  the  scream  of  the  storm  in  every  ocean-highway  of  the 
earth.  Drake's  sailors  sang  them  when  they  clove  the  virgin 
waves  of  the  Pacific,  Frobisher's  when  they  dashed  against  the 
barriers  of  the  Arctic  ice  and  night.  They  floated  over  the 
waters  on  that  day  of  glad  days  when  England  held  her  Pro- 
testant freedom  against  Pope  and  Spaniard  and  won  the  naval 
supremacy  of  the  world.  They  crossed  the  ocean  with  the 
May  Floiver  pilgrims  \  they  were  sung  round  Cromwell's  camp- 
fires,  and  his  Ironsides  charged  to  their  music ;  while  they  have 
filled  the  peaceful  homes  of  our  land  and  of  Christendom  with 
the  voice  of  supplication  and  the  breath  of  praise.  In  palace 
halls,  by  happy  hearths,  in  squalid  rooms,  in  pauper  wards,  in 
prison  cells,  in  crowded  sanctuaries,  in  lonely  wildernesses, 
everywhere  these  Jews  have  uttered  our  moan  of  contrition  and 
our  song  of  triumph,  our  tearful  complaint,  and  our  wrestling, 
conquering  prayer. 

*   The  Catholic  Doctrine  of  the  Atonement,  pp.  295,  296. 


BOOK    I. 

PSALMS  I.— XLI. 

In  the  Hebrew  text  the  Book  of  Psalms  is  divided  into  five  books,  each 
of  which  has.  a  separate  heading,  not  translated  in  our  English  Bible.  But 
another  sign  of  the  five-fold  division  of  the  Psalms  can  be  followed  in  the 
English,  for  each  of  the  books  ends  with  a  doxology. 

'  The  Psalter  is  the  congregation's  five-fold  word  to  the  Lord,  even  as 
the  Thora  (the  Law)  is  the  Lord's  five-fold  word  to  the  congregation,' — 
Delitzsch. 


'  What  the  heart  is  in  man,  that  the  Psalter  is  in  the  Bible.' ^-/o/i.  Arnd. 


PSALM  I. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  radically  distinct  lot  of  the  pious 
and  the  ungodly. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— The  Preface  Psalm. 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — A  summary  of  the  instructions  con- 
cerning the  various  Christiafi  graces,  which  is  co7itained  in  the 
canon  of  the  nine  Beatitudes  in  Matthew. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Perhaps  Solomon,  for  following  reasons. 

(i)  It  is  earlier  than  the  time  of  Jeremiah,  for  it  is  his  habit 
to  quote  from,  or  allude  to,  earlier  times. 

(2)  The  word  rendered  'mockers,'  'scorners,'  in  verse  i, 
occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  whole  Psalter,  but  is  frequently 
applied,  in  the  earlier  chapters  of  the  Proverbs,  to  those  who 
set  themselves  to  despise  and  scoff  at  religion.  This,  and  the 
somewhat  proverbial  form  of  the  Psalm,  might  lead  us  to 
ascribe  it  even  to  Solomon  himself. 

(3)  The  general  doctrine  of  the  poem,  moreover,  falls  in 
with  his  reign,  and  with  what  may  be  gathered  from  the 
Proverbs  as  to  the  religious  condition  of  the  nation. 

(4)  The  imagery  of  the  Psalm  is  such  as  Solomon  might 
naturally  have  employed. 

(5)  If,  as  appears  probable,  Solomon  made  a  collection  of 
his  father's  poetry  for  the  services  of  the  Temple,  he  might 
have  prefixed  this  Psalm  by  way  of  preface,  and  this  circum- 
stance would  account  for  the  absence  of  any  inscription. 

The  Whole.  Psalm. —Hh.Q  absence  of  any  inscription,  which 


28  PSALM-MOSAICS 

is  rare  in  the  first  book,  seems  to  indicate  that  this  Psalm  was 
from  the  first  regarded  in  the  hght  merely  of  an  introduc- 
tion. ...  In  some  MSS.  it  is  not  numbered  at  all,  being 
treated  simply  as  a  prologue  or  preface.  This  must  have  been 
a  very  early  arrangement,  as  our  present  second  Psalm  is  quoted 
as  the  first  (according  to  the  best  readings)  in  Acts  xiii.  33, 
where  the  words  '  Thou  art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten 
thee,'  are  cited  as  eV  rw  ^pmtu)  ^aX/ubio.  In  other  MSS.,  again, 
the  two  Psalms  appear  as  one.  And,  accordingly,  Albertus 
Magnus  says :  '  Psalmus  primus  incipit  a  beatitudine  et 
terminatur  in  beatitudine,'  alluding  to  the  '  Blessed  is  the  man 
that  hath  not  walked  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly  '  (i.  i),  and 
'Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  Him'  (ii.  12).* 

T/ie  Principle  of  A72tiphons. ^^omo.  observation  may  be  made 
on  the  manifold  significance  of  the  Psalms,  and  on  the  mode 
adopted  by  the  ancient  Church  for  displaying  that  significance 
to  the  minds  of  the  faithful. 

This  may  be  exemplified  by  the  treatment  which  the  first 
Psalm  has  received  in  some  Western  liturgies.  In  them  the 
first  Psalm  is  appointed  to  be  used  on  various  occasions — e.g., 
in  the  ordinary  Sunday  services,  at  the  Commemoration  of 
Martyrs,  on  Passion  Sunday,  the  Commemoration  of  Con- 
fessors, on  Easter  Day  and  on  Whitsun  Day. 

As  to  the  first,  the  daily  duty  of  the  Christian,  as  set  forth 
in  this  Psalm,  was  commended  to  their  religious  meditation 
by  the  Antiphon  'Serve  the  Lord  in  fear,  and  rejoice  unto 
Him  with  reverence.'  As  to  the  second,  this  same  Psalm  was 
made  to  declare  the  true  character  of  the  Christian  martyr  by 
means  of  the  Antiphon  '  His  delight  was  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord  day  and  night.' 

On  Passion  Sunday  this  Psalm  was  made  to  speak  of  Christ, 
as  He  who  walked  not  in  the  way  of  the  ungodly,  and  who 
when  hanging  on  the  cross  was  like  the  tree  who  brings  forth 
his  fruit  in  due  season,  and  whose  leaf  will  not  wither.  At 
Easter  the  Antiphon  is,  '  I  am  That  I  am  ;  and  My  counsel  is 
■"   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perovvne,  vol.  i.,  p.  105. 


PSALM  I.  29 

not  with  the  wicked,  but  in  the  law  of  the  Lord  is  My  dehght. 
Alleluia.' 

The  Common  of  Confessor  and  Bishop  directs  us  to  another 
verse  :  '  Blessed  is  the  man  who  doth  exercise  himself  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord.  His  will  remaineth  day  and  night,  and  all 
things  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper,'  thus  referring  the 
Psalm  to  the  study  and  doctrine  of  the  saint  whom  the  Church 
commemorates. 

On  Whitsun  Day,  in  ordinary  Breviaries,  the  Antiphon  is  : 
'  Suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  heaven  as  of  a  rushing, 
mighty  wind  :  Alleluia  !  Alleluia  !' 

This  is  a  general  observation  which  the  reader  may  apply  to 
other  Psalms,  and  he  will  find  his  pains  amply  rewarded  by 
the  study  of  the  ancient  Liturgies,  as  illustrating  the  Christian 
significance  of  the  Psalms,  by  means  of  the  Antiphons  annexed 
to  them  in  the  religious  services  of  great  festivals  of  the 
Christian  year. 

The  same  Psalm  was  said  at  Christmas,  said  at  Easter,  said 
in  Lent,  said  at  Whitsuntide,  said  on  the  Festival  of  Martyrs, 
said  in  the  Office  for  the  Dead;  it  could  not,  at  all  these 
seasons,  be  recited  with  the  same  feelings,  in  the  same  frame 
of  mind.  Its  different  emphasis  required  to  be  brought  out  ; 
the  same  sun-ray  from  the  Holy  Ghost  rested  indeed,  at  all 
times,  on  the  same  words ;  but  the  prism  of  the  Church 
separated  that  colourless  light  into  its  component  rays ;  into 
the  violet  of  penitence,  the  crimson  of  martyrdom,  the  gold  of 
the  highest  seasons  of  Christian  gladness. 

Hence  arose  the  wonderful  system  of  Antiphons,  which  out  of 
twenty  different  significations,  definitely  for  the  time  being,  fixed 
one,  which  struck  the  right  key-note,  and  enabled  the  worshipper 
to  sing  with  the  Spirit,  and  to  sing  with  the  understanding  also. 
Ancient  as  is  the  alternate  chanting  of  Psalms  in  the  churches 
it  may  be  doubted  whether  that  of  Antiphons  is  not  of  even 
more  venerable  antiquity ;  and  the  relation  of  Socrates  about 
the  vision  of  St.  Ignatius,  and  his  introduction,  into  the  service 
of  the  Church  on  earth,  of  that  which   he  had  heard  in  the 


30  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Church  in  heaven,  more  probably  refers  to  this  system,  than 
to  that  of  responsory  chanting. 

An  Antiphon,  then,  in  the  original  sense  of  the  word,  was 
the  intercalation  of  some  fragment  or  verse  between  the  verses 
of  the  Psalm  which  was  then  being  sung ;  one  choir  taking 
the  Psalm,  the  other  the  intercalated  portion.  The  original 
practice  became  obsolete  in  the  tenth  century.  The  first 
change  was  undoubtedly  the  repetition  of  the  Antiphon,  before 
and  after  each  Psalm  only.  A  still  further  abbreviation  shortly 
took  place.  It  was  now,  on  ordinary  occasions,  said  only  so 
far  as  the  mediation  at  the  commencement ;  and  repeated 
entire  at  the  end  of  the  Psalm.  Festivals  were  distinguished 
by  doubling  the  Antiphon,  i.e.,  saying  the  whole  before  as 
well  as  after.  And  then  came  the  last  step,  the  binding  several 
Psalms  under  one  Antiphon. 

These  Antiphons  are  grounded  on  ancient  expositions  of  the 
Psalms — Origen,  St.  Basil,  St.  Chrysostom — and  from  the 
extant  expositions  of  the  Latin  Fathers,  especially  St.  Hilary, 
St.  Ambrose  and  St.  Augustine.* 

Metrical  Version  of  the  Psalm. — Here  is  a  very  curious  metrical 
version  of  this  psalm.  The  scarce  old  book  (a  small  octavo  of  six- 
teen leaves)  from  which  these  very  odd  '  cuttit  and  clippit '  verses 
are  given  by  Brydges  as  a  specimen,  is  entitled  :  '  The  Mindes 
Melodic,  contayning  certayne  Psalmes  of  the  kinglie  prophete 
David,  applyed  to  a  new  pleasant  tune  verie  comfortable  to 
everie  one  that  is  rightlie  acquainted  therewith.  Edinburgh. 
Printed  by  Robert  Charteris,  printer  to  the  king's  most 
excellent  Majestic,  1605.     Cum  privilegio  regali.' 

What  kind  of  '  a  new  pleasant  tune '  such  lines  were '  applyed 
to '  does  not  appear ;  but  it  must  have  been  quite  as  whimsical 
as  the  measure  is  original : 

'  Blest  is  the  man, 
Yea,  happie  than, 
By  grace  that  can 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Cortimentary^  p.  2  j  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^ 
vol.  i.,  pp.  34  and  46. 


PSALM  I.  31 

Eschew  ill  counsell  and  the  godles  gates  ; 

And  walks  not  in 

The  way  of  sin. 

Nor  doth  begin 
To  sit  with  mockers  in  the  scornfull  sates ; 

But  in  Jehovah's  law 

Delites  aright, 

And  studies  it  to  know, 

Both  day  and  night 

That  man  shall  bee 

Like  to  the  tree 
Fast  planted  by  the  running  river  growes, 

That  fruite  doth  beare 

In  tyme  of  yeare 
Whose  leafe  shall  never  fade,  nor  rute  unloose.'* 

T/ie  Whole  Psalm. — The  prophet  Jeremiah  in  chapter 
xvii.,  and  verses  7  and  8,  has  quoted  or  imitated  this  Psalm  ; 
he  says,  '  Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  and 
whose  hope  the  Lord  is. 

'  For  he  shall  be  as  a  tree  planted  by  the  waters,  and  that 
spreadeth  out  her  roots  by  the  river,  and  shall  not  see  when 
heat  cometh;  but  her  leaf  shall  be  green,  and  shall  not  be 
careful  in  the  year  of  drought,  neither  shall  cease  from  yielding 
fruit.' 

Verse  3.  And  he  shall  he  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  water-side. 
— Guy  Carleton  was  a  sturdy  Cavalier  and  Bishop  of  Chichester 
from  1678  to  1685.  The  only  record  of  his  episcopate  is  a 
long  letter  to  Bancroft,  the  Primate,  describing  with  much 
indignation  a  reception  given  at  Chichester  to  the  Duke  of 
Monmouth,  natural  son  of  Charles  IL,  at  a  time  when  he  was 
endeavouring  to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  party  disaffected 
to  the  king  and  the  Duke  of  York.  '  The  great  men  of  our 
Cathedrall,'  says  the  loyal  old  bishop,  'welcomed  him  with 
belles  and  bonfires,  made  by  wood  had  from  their  houses  to 
flare  before  his  lodgings.  .  .  .  The  next  day  Dr.  Edes,  one  of 
the  Canons  who  had  officiated  the  night  before  as  Chaplain, 
went  to  his  lodging,  caused  the  way  to  be  swept,  although  the 
weather  was  dry  enough,  and  conducted  him  to  the  church. 
He  was  ushered  into  the  dean's  seat  with  a  voluntary  upon  the 
*  Notes  and  Queries ^  p.  43. 


32  PSALM-MOSAICS 

organ.  Before  the  sermon  a  part  of  the  first  PsaUii  was 
ordered  to  be  sung  :  ''  He  shall  he  like  the  tree  that  gr owes  fast 
by  river  syde^ 

'  The  anlhem  at  evening  prayer  was,  "  The  Slaughter  of  King 
Saul  and  his  People  upon  the  Mountains  of  Gilboa,"  but  not 
a  word,  I  warrant  you,  of  the  "kinge's  enemies  to  perish,"  or 
that  upon  his  head  his  crow^n  might  long  flourish;'  and  the 
indignant  prelate  goes  on  to  say  how,  after  dark,  the  rabble 
came  to  his  house  and  demanded  wood  for  bonfires,  and  when 
it  was  refused,  shouted  that  the  bishop  was  an  old  Popish 
rogue,  shot  three  times  into  the  house,  and  followed  up  their 
shots  with  a  volley  of  stones.^ 

Verses  3  arid  4. — Dean  Stanley  says  there  is  one  tree,  only 
to  be  found  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  but  too  beautiful  to  be 
entirely  passed  over,  the  oleander,  wath  its  bright  blossoms  and 
dark  green  leaves,  giving  the  aspect  of  a  rich  garden  to  any 
spot  where  it  grows.  It  is  rarely,  if  ever,  alluded  to  in  the 
Scriptures.  But  it  may  be  the  'tree  planted  by  the  '^ streams  '' 
of  water  which  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  due  season^  and  'whose 
leaf  shall  7iot  wither.' 'i 

Verse  7.    The  Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous. 

'  Thou  knowest,  Lord,  the  weariness  and  sorrow 
Of  the  sad  heart  that  comes  to  Thee  for  rest. 
Cares  of  to-day,  and  burdens  for  to-morrow, 

Blessings  implored,  and  sins  to  be  confest, — 
I  come  before  Thee  at  Thy  gracious  word, 
And  lay  them  at  Thy  feet— Thou  knowest,  Lord. 

'  Thou  knowest  all  the  past — how  long  and  blindly 
On  the  dark  mountain  the  lost  wanderer  strayed, 
How  the  good  Shepherd  followed,  and  how  kindly 

He  bore  it  home,  upon  His  shoulders  laid, 
And  healed  the  bleeding  wounds,  and  soothed  the  pain, 
And  brought  back  life,  and  hope,  and  strength  again. 

'  Thou  knowest  all  the  present — each  temptation, 
Each  toilsome  duty,  each  foreboding  fear  ; 
All  to  myself  assigned  of  tribulation. 

Or  to  beloved  ones,  than  self  more  dear  I 


*  Diocesan  History  of  Chichester,  p.  236. 
t  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  146. 


PSALM  II.  33 

All  pensive  memories,  as  I  journey  on, 
Longings  for  vanished  smiles,  and  voices  gone  I 

'  Thou  knowest  all  the  future — gleams  of  gladness. 

By  stormy  clouds  too  quickly  overcast, — 
Hours  of  sweet  fellowship,  and  parting  sadness — 

And  the  dark  river  to  be  crossed  at  last : — 
Oh,  what  could  confidence  and  hope  afford 
To  tread  that  path,  but  this — Thou  knowest^  Lord!'* 

The  Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous. — In  the  fol- 
lowing passage  Shakespeare  seems  to  use  the  word  in  the 
same  sense,  viz.,  to  acknowledge,  approve,  bless  :  '  I  know 
you  are  my  eldest  brother,  and,  in  the  gentle  condition  of 
blood,  you  should  so  kno7v  me'  {As  You  Like  Li,  Act  I., 
Sc.  i.).f 

PSALM  11. 

LLeading  (Delitzsch). — The  kingdom  of  God  and  of  His 
Christ,  to  which  everything  must  bow. 

Titie  (Spurgeon). — The  Psalm  of  Messiah  the  Prince. 

Co?itents  (Syriac). — Concerning  the  call  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
prophetic  allusion  to  the  Passion  of  the  Messiah. 

Origin  (Perowne). — It  would  be  better  to  connect  the  psalm 
with  the  events  mentioned  in  2  Sam.  x.  There  we  find  a 
confederacy  of  Syrians,  Ammonites,  and  others  who  had  for- 
merly been  subdued  (2  Sam.  vii.  3,  12),  and  who  were  now 
making  a  last  effort  for  their  independence. 

Just  before  this,  too  (chap.  vii.  14),  we  have  the  promise  to 
which  allusion  seems  to  be  made  in  verse  7  of  the  Psalm. 

T/ie  Whole  Psali7i. — '  The  Psalms  of  the  Passion '  are  ii., 
xxii.,  lix.,  Ixix.,  and  Ixxxviii.,  and  they  are  among  the  prayers 
and  sermons  in  '  The  Prymer  set  forth  by  the  King's  Majesty 
(Henry  VIII.)  and  his  Clergy  (1545).'+ 

*  Author  of  Hymns  from  the  Land  of  Ljither. 
f  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  86. 
X  Proctor  on  The  Prayer-Book,  p.  263. 

3 


34  PSALM-MOSAICS 

The  six  royal  Psalms — this  Psalm  is  the  first  of  these 
Psalms ;  the  others  are  xx.,  xxi.,  xlv.,  Ixxii.,  and  ex. 

These  two  Psalms  {the  first  and seco?id)  are  continuous  in  some 
arrangements ;  the  separation,  however,  is  at  least  seven  hundred 
years  old,  and  the  subjects  are  different* 

Oj  the  Proper  Psalms  for  Easter  Day,  this  is  the  first, 
and  the  second  verse,  'The  kings  of  the  earth  stand  up, 
and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together :  against  the  Lord  and 
against  His  Anointed,'  St.  Peter  declares  (in  Acts  iv.  25,  26), 
was  partly  accomplished  by  Christ's  death.  To  this  agree  St. 
Clement,  St.  Irenaeus,  St.  Hippolytus,  St.  Hilary,  and  all  the 
Catholic  Fathers,  and,  therefore,  the  Church  has  connected 
this  Psalm  with  the  Paschal  season  by  appointing  it  as  a  Proper 
Psalm  for  the  great  Festival  of  the  Resurrection,  and  it  is  con- 
nected with  our  Lord's  triumph  and  its  glorious  consequences 
to  the  world  by  the  antiphon  in  the  Western  liturgies : 

'  Pistulari  Patrem,  Alleluia  ! 
Dedit  mihi  gentes,  Alleluia  ! 
Hsereditatem,         Alleluia  !'f 

Verse  9.  Thou  shall  bruise  them  with  a  rod  of  iron ;  and 
break  them  lit  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel, — In  Abdiel's  speech  to 
Satan  there  is  a  beautiful  allusion  to  this  passage  of  the 
Psalmist,  of  which  it  is  an  excellent  illustration  : 

'  Henceforth 
No  more  be  troubled  how  to  quit  the  yoke 
Of  God's  Messiah  ;  those  indulgent  laws 
Will  not  be  now  vouchsafed  ;  other  decrees 
Against  thee  are  gone  forth  without  recall. 
That  golden  sceptre  which  thou  didst  reject 
Is  now  an  iron  rod  to  bruise  and  break 
Thy  disobedience.' 

Paradise  Lost,  v.  X 

Verse  10.  Be  wise  now,  therefore,  O ye  kings;  be  learfied,  ye 
that  are  Judges  of  the  earth. — After  King  Charles's  murder 
Cromwell  had  caused  a  medal  to  be  struck    bearing  the  in- 


'& 


*  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  263. 

t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Com?ne}ita7y,  p.  2. 

:;:   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  6. 


PSALM  III.  35 

scription :  '  Et  nunc  Reges  intelligite,'  and  now  Bossuet  (the 
saintly  'Eagle  of  Meaux')  took  the  same  words,  '  Et  nunc 
Reges  intelligite:  erudimini  qui  judicatis  terram.  Servite 
Domino  in  timore :  et  exsultate  ei  cum  tremore,'  as  the  text 
of  his  oration  (over  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  wife  of  Charles  I.), 
drawing  out  in  his  opening  passages  how  it  is  God  Himself 
that  is  the  Teacher  of  kings,  and  how,  through  'every  ex- 
tremity of  human  events,'  He  had  taught  the  royal  lady  for 
whom  they  mourned.* 

Verse  ii.   Serve  the  Lord  tfi  fear,  and  rejoice  tmio  Him  tuith 

reverence. 

'  Oh,  how  I  fear  Thee,  living  God  ! 

With  deepest,  tenderest  fears, 
And  worship  Thee  with  trembling  hope 
And  penitential  tears. 

*  Yet  I  may  love  Thee  too,  O  Lord  ! 
Almighty  as  Thou  art, 
For  Thou  hast  stooped  to  ask  of  me 
The  love  of  my  poor  heart. 

'  Oh,  then,  this  worse  than  worthless  heart 

In  pity  deign  to  take. 
And  make  it  love  Thee,  for  Thyself, 
And  for  Thy  glory's  sake.'t 

Verse  12.  Kiss  the  Son  lest  He  be  angry. — At  Agrigentum  in 
Sicily  was  a  brazen  image  of  the  Tyrian  Hercules,  whose  mouth 
and  chin,  as  described  by  Cicero,  'were  worn  by  the  kisses 
of  his  worshippers.'  The  kiss  of  adoration  is  still  practised  by 
the  Siamese  pagans,  and  something  of  the  same  kind  appears 
also  to  be  yet  in  use  with  the  Greek  Church  in  Russia.! 

PSALM  HL 

ZT^^^/;?^  (Deli tzsch).— Morning  hymn  of  one  in  distress,  but 
confident  in  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Morning  Hymn. 

*  Life  of  Bossuet,  p.  146. 

t  Frederick  W.  Faber. 

X   The  Book  of  Psalfjis,  by  Eishop  Mant,  p.  7. 


36  PSALM -MOSAICS 

Co7ite7its  (Syriac). — Written  by  David  concerning  good 
things  to  come. 

Origt?i  (Perowne). — From  the  inscription  of  this  Psalm  learn 
that  it  was  written  by  David  when  he  fled  from  his  son  Absalom. 
Both  Psalms  (this  and  the  next)  it  has  been  conjectured  were 
composed  on  the  same  day,  the  one  in  the  morning,  the  other  in 
the  evening  of  the  day  following  that  on  which  the  king  quitted 
Jerusalem.  In  verse  5  we  gather  that  the  Psalm  is  a  morn- 
ing hymn. 

The  Whole  Fsalm. — If  the  inscriptions  be  correct,  this  psalm 
is  a  proof  that  the  Psalms  are  not  placed  in  any  chronological 
order."^ 

In  Chtirch.  —  Psalms  iii.,  xxxviii.,  Ixiii.,  Ixxxviii.,  ciii., 
cxliii.  form  the  Hexapsalmus  of  the  Greek  Morning  Office. 
After  Psalm  Ixiii.,  and  before  Psalm  Ixxxviii.,  was  repeated 
'Gloria  Patri'  and  'Alleluia.'  The  Priest  said  the  Morning 
Prayers  collects  in  a  low  tone  before  the  Bema,  whilst  the 
choir  proceeded  with  the  three  latter  Psalms.  At  the  end  of 
Psalm  cxliii.  followed  again  'Gloria  Patri'  and  'Alleluia.'  At 
the  end  of  Psalm  iii.  verse  5  was  repeated. 

It  is  in  the  Benedictine  rule  a  Psalm  of  Nocturn  daily ; 
in  the  Sarum  and  Roman  uses  it  occurs  in  the  twelve  Psalms 
of  the  first  Nocturn  on  Sunday. f 

Verse  6.  /  will  not  be  afraid  for  te?i  thousands  of  the  people 
that  have  set  the?nselves  against  me  roimd  about. — This  Psalm  is 
fitly  used  by  the  Church  in  commemoration  of  the  martyrs, 
in  whom  this  verse  was  fulfilled  again  and  again  to  the  letter, 
even  by  maidens  and  children,  as  they  stood  in  the  amphi- 
theatre alone,  unpitied,  the  mark  for  the  cruel  stare  of  myriads 
of  spectators,  crying  :  '  Christianos  ad  leones  !' 

'  Thus  in  the  arena  he  stood  by  himself,  one  minute,  not  longer  : 
Here  on  this  side  a  child  ;  on  the  other  ten  myriad  pagans. 

*  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary^  p.  1935. 
t  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  225. 


PSALM  IV.  37 

Then  did  the  Christians  in  place  send  up  one  deep  supplication, 
God  would  again  show  His  praise  in  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  : 
Trembling,  nor  fear  none  now ;  but  Philemon  came  forward  a  little  ^ 
Nearer  the  mouth  of  the  den,  where  the  creaking  winch  told  was  the  lion. 
Back  flew  the  gate  ;  black-maned,  the  beast  with  the  roar  of  his  fury- 
Sprang  in  one  bound  on  the  child, — and  the  child  was  in  Abraham's 
bosom.'* 

Verse  7.  U/>,  Lord,  and  help  me.  —  Dr.  Bonar,  in  his 
'  Christ  and  His  Church,'  says  :  '  The  EngHsh  Prayer-Book 
translation  is,  "Up,  Lord,  and  help  me !"  reminding  us  of  the 
sudden,  unexpected  rise  of  the  Guards  at  Waterloo  after  long 
and  patient  waiting  for  the  seasonable  moment.' 


PSALM  IV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Evening  hymn  of  one  who  is  unmoved 
before  backbiters  and  men  of  little  faith. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Evening  Hymn. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  concerning  those  things 
that  he  suffered. 

Origin  (Perowne). — David  had  said  in  the  previous  Psalm  : '  I 
laid  me  down  and  slept ' ;  he  says  in  this :  '  I  will  lay  me  down 
in  peace  and  sleep.'  These  words  evidently  connect  the  Psalms 
together.  That  was  a  morning,  this  is  an  evening  hymn.  .  .  . 
The  interval  between  the  two  Psalms  may  only  have  been  the 
interval  between  the  morning  and  evening  of  the  same  day. 

In  Church. — This  is  an  Easter  Even  Psalm,  according  to 
the  Sarum  Use  (see  verse  9) ;  it  is  also  the  first  Psalm  in  the 
Greek  late  Evensong,  and  one  of  the  first  Psalms  at  Compline. 

The  Whole  Psalm  (St.  Augustine  of  Hippo). — 'With  what 
vehement  and  bitter  sorrow  was  I  angered  at  the  Manichees  !t 
and  again  I  pitied  them,  for  that  they  knew  not  those  Sacra- 

^  Neale's  Commentary,  vol,  i.,  p.  107. 

+  Because,  as  rejecting  the  Old  Testament,  they  robbed  themselves  of 
the  Psalms. 


38  PSALM^MOSAICS 

ments,  those  medicines,  and  were  mad  against  the  antidote 
which  might  have  recovered  them  of  their  madness.  How  I 
would  they  had  then  been  somewhere  near  me,  and  without 
my  knowing  that  they  were  there,  could  have  beheld  my  coun- 
tenance, and  heard  my  words  w^hen  I  read  the  fourth  Psalm 
in  that  time  of  my  rest '  (after  his  conversion),  '  and  how  that 
Psalm  wrought  upon  me  :  "  When  I  called,  the  God  of  my 
righteousness  heard  me;  in  tribulation  Thou  enlargedst  me. 
Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord,  and  hear  my  prayer."  Would 
that  what  I  uttered  on  these  words  they  could  hear  without 
my  knowing  whether  they  heard,  lest  they  should  think  I  spake 
it  for  their  sakes  !  Because,  m  truth,  neither  should  I  speak 
the  same  things,  nor  in  the  same  way,  if  I  perceived  that  they 
heard  and  saw  me;  nor  if  I  spake  them  would  they  so  receive 
them,  as  when  I  spake  by  and  for  myself  before  Thee  out  of 
the  natural  feelings  of  my  soul. 

'  I  trembled  for  fear,  and  again  kindled  with  hope  and  with 
rejoicing  in  Thy  mercy,  O  Father  ;  and  all  issued  forth  both 
by  mine  eyes  and  voice,  when  Thy  good  Spirit  turning  unto  us 
said :  "O  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long  slow  of  heart?  W^hy  do 
ye  love  vanity  and  seek  after  a  lie  ?"  For  I  had  "  loved  vanity, 
and  sought  after  a  lie."  "And  Thou,  O  Lord,"  hast  already 
"magnified  Thy  Holy  One,  raising  Him  from  the  dead,  and 
setting  Him  at  Thy  right  hand,"  whence  "from  on  high"  He 
should  "send"  His  "promise,"  the  "Comforter,  the  Spirit  of 
truth."  And  He  had  already  sent  Him,  but  I  knew  it  not ; 
He  had  sent  Him,  because  He  was  now  magnified,  rising  again 
from  the  dead,  and  ascending  into  heaven.  For  then  "  the 
Spirit  was  not  yet  given,  because  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified." 
And  the  prophet  cries,  "  How  long,  slow  of  heart  ?  W^hy  do 
ye  love  vanity  and  seek  after  leasing?  Know  this,  that  the 
Lord  hath  magnified  His  Holy  One."  He  cries  out :  "  How 
long?"  He  cries  out:  "Know  this;"  and  I  so  long,  not 
knowing,  "  loved  vanity  and  sought  after  leasing  " ;  and,  there- 
fore, I  heard  and  trembled,  because  it  was  spoken  unto  such 
as  I  remembered  myself  to  have  been.    For  in  those  phantoms 


PSALM  IV.  39 

which  I  had  held  for  truths  was  there  "vanity  and  lying";  and 
I  spake  aloud  many  things  earnestly  and  forcibly  in  the  bitter- 
ness of  my  remembrance.  Which,  would  they  had  heard,  who 
yet  "  love  vanity  and  seek  after  lying  "  !  They  would,  perchance, 
have  been  troubled,  and  have  vomited  it  up;  and  "Thou 
wouldst  hear  them  when  they  cried  unto  Thee,"  for  by  a  true 
death  in  the  flesh  did  He  die  for  us,  who  now  "intercedeth 
unto  Thee  for  us."  '* 

Verse  2.  O  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long  will  ye  blaspheme  Mine 
honour,  and  have  such  pleasure  in  vanity,  a?id  seek  after  leasing'^ 
— Chrysostom  said  once,  '  that  if  he  were  the  fittest  in  the  world 
to  preach  a  sermon  to  the  whole  world,  gathered  together  in 
one  congregation,  and  had  some  high  mountain  for  his  pulpit, 
from  whence  he  might  have  a  prospect  of  all  the  world  in  his 
view,  and  were  furnished  with  a  voice  of  brass,  a  voice  as  loud 
as  the  trumpets  of  the  archangel,  that  all  the  world  might  hear 
him,  he  would  choose  to  preach  on  no  other  texts  than  in  the 
Psalms,  "O  mortal  men,  how  long  will  ye  love  vanity,  and 
follow  after  leasing  ?"  'f 

•  In  his  praise 
Have  almost  stamped  the  leasing'  {i.e.,  made  the  lie  current).^ 

Coriolanus,  Act  V.,  sc.  ii. 

Verse  4.  Stand  in  awe,  and  sin  not ;  commune  with  your 
own  heart,  and  in  your  chamber.,  and  be  still. — Thomas  a 
Kempis,  in  his  '  Imitation  of  Christ,'  says :  '  If  thou  desirest 
true  contrition  of  heart,  enter  into  thy  secret  chamber,  and  shut 
out  the  tumults  of  the  world,  as  it  is  written  :  "Commune  with 
your  own  heart,  and  in  your  chamber,  and  be  still."  In  thy 
chamber  thou  shalt  find  what  abroad  thou  shalt  too  often  lose. 
The  more  thou  visitest  thy  chamber,  the  more  thou  wilt  enjoy 
it ;  the  less  thou  comest  thereunto,  the  more  thou  wilt  loathe 
it.     If  in  the  beginning  of  thy  conversion  thou  art  content  to 

*   Confessions  of  St.  Augustine,  p.  266. 
t  Thomas  Brooks,  1608— 1680. 
X  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  37. 


40  PSALM-MOSAICS 

remain  in  it,  and  keep  to  it  well,  it  will  afterwards  be  to  thee  a 
dear  friend,  and  a  most  pleasant  comfort.'* 

Verse  7.    Lord,  lift  Thou  up  the  light  of  Thy  countenance 
upon  us. 

*  Unveil,  O  Lord,  and  on  us  shine 

In  glory  and  in  grace  ; 
This  gaudy  world  grows  pale  before 
The  beauty  of  Thy  face. 

*  Till  Thou  art  seen,  it  seems  to  be 

A  sort  of  fairy  ground, 
Where  suns  unsetting  light  the  sky, 
And  flowers  and  fruits  abound. 

*  But  when  Thy  keener,  purer  beam 

Is  pour'd  upon  our  sight, 
It  loses  all  its  power  to  charm, 
And  what  was  day  is  night.'f 

Verse  9.  /  will  lay  me  down  in  peace  and  take  my  rest ;  for 

it  is  Thou,  Lo?'d,  only  that  inakest  me  dwell  in  safety. — These 

words  were  spoken  by  Richard  Poor  {Ricardus  dictus  Pauper), 

thirty-seventh  Bishop   of  Durham    (a.d.    1228).     He   was    a 

pious  and  learned  man,  and  had  risen  to  be  Bishop,  first  of 

Chichester,  and  then  of  Salisbury.     While  Bishop  of  Salisbury 

he   removed    the   see   from    Old    Sarum,    and   began    a   new 

cathedral,  the  same  stately  church  which  now  exists.      The 

account  left  us  of  his  last  moments  is  interesting  :  '  When  his 

death  drew  near,  seeing  that  the  hour  was  come  that  he  should 

depart  out  of  the  world,  he  called  the  people  together,  and  in 

a  solemn  discourse  told  them  that  his  decease  was  at  hand. 

The  next  day,  though  his  disease  had  increased,  he  preached 

another  sermon  to  the  congregation,  bidding  all  farewell,  and 

asking   pardon   if  he  had  offended  any.     The  third  day  he 

gathered  his  family  together  with  all  his  chief  acquaintance, 

and  divided  among  them  what  he  thought  was  reasonable.  .  .  . 

Having  bidden  all  his  friends  farewell,  he  said  Compline,  and 

when  he  came  to  the  words:  "-^  I  will  lay  7ne  down  i?i  peace,  atid 

take  my  rest,"  he  slept  in  the  Lord,  April  15,  1237.'! 

*  Of  the  Imitation   of  Christ,   Book  I.,  chap.  xx.  :    'Of  the  Love  of 
Solitude  and  Silence.' 
+  John  Henry  Newman. 
X  Diocesan  Histoiy  of  Durham,  p.  157. 


PSALM  V.  41 


In  peace. — The  Ethiopic  version  reads  :  '  Iji  peace  iji  Him 
I  will  lay  me  down ' : 


■  Pillow  where,  lying, 
Love  rests  its  head, 
Peace  of  the  dying, 
Life  of  the  dead  : 
Path  of  the  lowly, 
Prize  at  the  end, 
Breath  of  the  holy. 
Saviour  and  Friend. 


PSALM  V. 


Heading  (Delitzsch). — Morning  prayer  before  going  to  the 
house  of  God. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — a  prayer  in  the 
name  of  the  Church  when  he  went  early  into  the  house  of  the 
Lord. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Like  Psalm  iii.,  this  is  a  morning  prayer, 
but  the  circumstances  of  the  singer  are  different.  He  is  not 
now  fleeing  from  open  enemies,  but  he  is  in  peril  from  the 
machinations  of  those  who  are  secretly  lying  in  wait  for  him 
(verses  9,  10).  He  is  not  now  an  exile,  but  can  still  enter  the 
house  of  the  Lord  and  bow  himself  towards  His  holy  dwelling- 
place  (verse  7).     David,  no  doubt,  is  the  author. 

In  Church. — Psalm  v.  was  the  first  of  the  three  used  in  the 
Eastern  Office  of  the  first  hour.  It  was,  after  the  51st,  the  first 
Psalm  of  Monday  Lauds,  f 

This  Psahn  is  appointed  in  the  Latin  Church  for  use  on 
Easter  Even,  when  she  is  waiting  in  hope  for  its  fulfilment  in 
our  Lord's  resurrection  from  the  dead.  The  prophetic  de- 
claration of  the  Psalmist  here,  that  God  will  Mess  the  righteous 
in  all  his  sufferings,  has  received  its  full  accomphshment  in 
'Jesus  Christ,  the  righteous.'X 

*  Dr.  Monsell. 

t  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  225. 

X  Wordsworth's  Coi/inientary,  p.  8. 


42  PSALM. MOSAICS 

Let  every  member  of  the  English  Church  notice  how  the 
double  feehng  expressed  in  the  Jewish  daily  sacrifice,  and 
implied  in  Psalm  v.,  is  developed  in  our  own  Communion 
Office;  the  sense  of  personal  unworthiness  in  the  prayer 
preceding  that  of  consecration,  the  renewed  self-dedication  to 
God  in  the  first  prayer  in  the  post-communion.* 

Verse  \.  .  .  .  Consider  my  7iieditation. — Bishop  Home  trans- 
lates the  word  'meditation'  by  'dove-like  mourning,'  and  it 
very  beautifully  and  appropriately  recalls  to  one's  recollection 
the  poetical  imagery  of  the  prophet  where  the  captive  maidens 
of  Huzzab  are  described  '  as  with  the  voice  of  doves,  tabering 
upon  their  breasts,'  repeating  their  plaintive  note  as  well  as  the 
mournful  movements  of  their  head  and  neck.f 

Verses  i-6. — There  is  a  sweet  passage  of  the  holy  Bernard 
as  to  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  which  he  represents  as  a  messenger 
despatched  from  the  beleaguered  holy  city,  and  hastening  on 
her  errand  to  the  gates  of  heaven,  borne  on  the  wings  of  faith 
and  zeal.  Jesus  hears  her  knock,  opens  the  gates  of  mercy, 
attends  her  suit,  and  promises  comfort  and  redress.  Back 
returns  prayer  laden  with  the  news  of  consolation ;  she  bears 
with  her  a  promise,  and  delivers  it  into  the  hands  of  faith,  that 
were  her  enemies  more  innumerable  than  the  locusts  of  Egypt, 
and  more  strong  than  the  giant  sons  of  Anak,  yet  power  and 
mercy  should  fight  for  us,  and  we  should  be  delivered.  | 

Verse  7.  But  as  for  nie,  I  will  come  into  Thine  house,  even 
upon  the  multitude  of  Thy  mercy :  and  in  Thy  fear  will  1 
worship  toward  Thy  holy  temple. — Repeated  by  the  Jews  of 
Italy  on  entering  the  synagogue. 

Verse  8.  Lead  7ne,  O  Lord,  in  Thy  righteoimiess,  because  of 
mine  enemies  ;  make  Thy  way  plain  before  my  face. 


*  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  Psalms,  by  J.  F.  Thrupp,  vol.  v.,  p.  69. 
f  Daily  Coinments  on  the  Psalms,  by  Barton  Bourphier,  vol.  i.,  p.  21. 
X  Ibid.,  vol.  i.,  p.  23. 


PSALM  V.  43 

'  Thy  way,  not  mine,  O  Lord, 
However  dark  it  be  ; 
Lead  me  by  Thine  own  Hand, 
Choose  out  the  path  for  me. 

'  Smooth  let  it  be,  or  rough. 
It  will  be  still  the  best  ; 
Winding,  or  straight,  it  leads 
Right  onward  to  Thy  rest. 

'  The  kingdom  that  I  seek 
Is  Thine,  so  let  the  way 
That  leads  to  it  be  Thine, 
Else  I  must  surely  stray.'* 

Verse  8.  .  .  .  Make  Thy  tvay  plain. — There  is  an  especial 
pathos  in  selecting  this  verse  as  the  Antiphon  for  that  Office  of 
the  Dead  which  takes  its  name  Dirge  from  the  Vulgate  Dirige. 
It  is  the  cry  of  the  parting  soul,  about  to  begin  its  mystic 
journey  to  another  world  by  a  road  beset  with  ghostly  enemies, 
and  calling  on  God  for  help  against  them  and  for  light  and 
guidance  by  the  way. 

'  Through  death's  valley,  dim  and  dark, 

Jesus  guide  thee  in  the  gloom. 

Show  thee  where  His  footprints  mark 

Tracks  of  glory  through  the  tomb. 

Grant  him,  Lord,  eternal  rest. 

With  the  spirits  of  the  blest. 't 

Verse  13.  .  .  .  With  Thy  favourable  kindttess  wilt  Thou 
defend  him  as  ivith  a  shield. — Luther,  when  making  his  way 
into  the  presence  of  Cardinal  Cajetan,  who  had  summoned 
him  to  answer  for  his  heretical  opinions  at  Augsburg,  was 
asked  by  one  of  the  Cardinal's  servants  where  he  should  find 
a  shelter  if  his  patron,  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  should  desert 
him  ?     '  Under  the  shield  of  heaven  !'  was  the  reply. 

*  Horatius  Bonar. 

j  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  i.,  p.  121. 


44  PSALM-MOSAICS 

PSALM  VI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — A  cry  for  mercy  under  judgment. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  first  of  the  Penitential  Psalms. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — doctrine  and  in- 
struction ;  also  concerning  mercy. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  said  to  be  a  Psalm  of 
David,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  question  this,  although  at  the 
same  time  there  is  nothing  in  it  to  guide  us  to  any  peculiar 
circumstance  of  his  life. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  is  the  first  of  the  seven  Penitential 
Psalms  ;  the  seven  weapons  wherewith  to  oppose  the  seven 
deadly  sins ;  the  seven  prayers,  inspired  by  the  sevenfold  Spirit 
to  the  repenting  sinner ;  the  seven  guardians,  for  seven  days  of 
the  week ;  the  seven  companions,  for  the  seven  Canonical 
Hours  of  the  day."^ 

Few  realize  all  that  is  conveyed  by  the  words  of  the  first  of 
the  Penitential  Psalms  used  on  Ash  Wednesday.  It  is  the 
picture  of  a  wan  face,  thin  and  prematurely  old,  of  a  form  like 
some  flower,  pale  and  withered  in  the  fierce  sunshine  of  the 
wrath  of  God.f 

Repeated  daily  by  the  Jews  mornings  and  afternoons,  except 
on  the  Sabbath  and  Festivals. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  the  second  Psalm  in  the  Greek 
Late  Evensong.  It  is  also  one  of  the  Psalms  appointed  in  the 
Roman  Office  for  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick.  It  is  also  a 
Proper  Psalm  for  Ash  Wednesday.];  The  first  two  verses  are 
used  as  a  Prokeimenon  (or  Prelude)  at  Unction  of  the  Sick  in 
the  Eastern  Orthodox  Church. 

Verse  i.    O  Lord^  rebuke  me  not  ifi  Thine  indignation. — This 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Conwientary,  vol.  i.,  p.  125. 

f    Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Chfistianity,  p.  126. 

X  Interleaved  Pj'ayer-Book,  p.  227. 


PSALM  VI ,  45 

was  the  favourite  Psalm  of  the  Queen  of  Francis  I.  of  France, 
and  which  she  sang  at  Court  (Clement  Marot's  metrical  version) 
to  a  fashionable  jig,  i.e.,  a  tune,  not  a  dance. 

'  Ne  venilles  pas,  O  Sire, 
Me  reprendre  en  ton  ire.'* 

Verse  2.  Miserere  mei,  Domi?ie. — These  words,  and  Miserere., 
come  over  and  over  again  in  the  Life  of  Bishop  Wilberforce  ; 
here  is  one  such  touching  entry  in  his  Diary : 

'July  14th,  1863.— Survey  my  Life.  What  wonderful  advan- 
tages^—my  father's  son,  his  favourite  and  so  companion  !  My 
good  mother,  such  surroundings.  My  love  for  my  blessed 
one  (his  wife)  compassing  me  with  an  atmosphere  of  holiness — 
my  ordination — my  married  life — my  ministerial.  Checken- 
don,  its  blessings,  and  its  work  opening  my  heart.  Bright- 
stone,  Alverstoke,  the  Archdeaconry,  the  Deanery,  Bishopric, 
friends.  My  stripping  bare  in  1841.  My  children.  Herbert's 
death-bed.  How  has  God  dealt,  and  what  have  I  really  done 
for  Him  ?      Miserere  Dovmie  is  all  my  cry.'t 

Verses  2,  3. — LLave  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord,  for  L  am  weak 
.  .  .  how  long  wilt  Thou  punish  me?  —  ' Oh  dear !  I  wish 
this  Grange  business  were  well  over.  It  occupies  me  (the 
mere  preparation  for  it)  to  the  exclusion  of  all  quiet  thought 
and  placid  occupation.  To  have  to  care  for  my  dress,  this 
time  of  day,  more  than  I  ever  did  when  young  and  pretty  and 
happy  (God  bless  me,  to  think  I  was  once  all  that !),  on  penalty 
of  being  regarded  as  a  blot  on  the  Grange  gold  and  azure,  is 
really  too  bad.  Ach  Gott  I  if  we  had  been  left  in  the  sphere  of 
life  we  belong  to,  how  much  better  it  would  have  been  for  us 
in  many  ways  !  Ah  !  the  spirit  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak 
as  water.  To-day  I  walked  with  effort  one  little  mile,  and 
thought  it  a  great  feat.  Sleep  has  come  to  look  to  me  the 
highest  virtue  and  the  greatest  happiness  ;  that  is,  good  sleep, 
untroubled,    beautiful,  like  a  child's.     Ah  me!  ^^ Have  mercy 

*  Curiosities  of  Literature  (Psalm-singing),  vol.  ii.,  p.  477. 
t  Life  of  Bishop  Wilberforce,  vol.  iii.,  p.  408. 


4$  PSALM-MOSAICS 

upon  me,  O  Lord,  for  lam  weak;  O  Lord,  heal  me,  for  my  bones 
are  vexed.  My  soul  is  also  sore  vexed  :  but  Thou,  O  Lord,  how 
longr'"^ 

Miserere  mei,  Domine. — These  words  are  inscribed  in  Roman 
characters  on  an  old  house  in  Edinburgh.  'We  do  not  re- 
member,' says  Paxton  Hood,  'ever  to  have  seen  a  more 
pathetic  inscription  than  that  which  tells  us  a  sad  story, 
although  a  story  altogether  unknown,  at  the  head  of  Rae's 
Close,  in  the  Canongate  :  "  Misere  mei,  Domine ;  a  peccato, 
probo,  debito,  et  morte  subita,  meUbera,  1618.'"  t 

Verse  3.  Lord,  how  long  wilt  Thou  punish  me  2 — This — 
Domine,  quoiisque?  was  Calvin's  motto.  The  most  intense 
pain    under   trouble    could    never    extort    from    him    another 


Verse  7.  My  beauty  is  gone  for  very  trouble. 

'  Sunk  was  that  eye 
Of  sov'reignty  ;  and  in  th'emaciate  cheek 
Had  penitence  and  anguish  deeply  drawn 
Their  furrows  premature,  forestalling  time, 
And  shedding  upon  thirty's  brow  more  sorrows 
Than  threescore  winters,  in  their  natural  course, 
Would  else  have  sprinkled  there.' § 


PSALM  VII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Appeal  to   the  Judge   of  the   whole 
earth  against  slander,  and  requiting  good  with  evil. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Song  of  the  Slandered  Saint. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of   David — the  conversion  of 
the  Gentiles  to  the  Faith,  and  a  confession  of  the  Trinity. 

Origin  (Perowne). — We    must   look  to    circumstances    like 
those  recorded  in  the  twenty-fourth  and  twenty-sixth   chapters 

*  Mrs.  CsxlyXo'sfoHrnal,  1855. 

f  Scottish  Characteristics,  Paxton  Hood,  p.  217. 

i  Kay  on  The  Psalms,  p.  19. 

§  Southey. 


PSALM  VII .  47 

of  the  First  Book  of  Samuel,  and  to  the  reproaches  of  a 
Benjamite  named  Cush,  a  leading  and  unscrupulous  partisan  of 
Saul's,  as  having  given  occasion  to  the  Psalm. 

Verse  i.  O  Lord  fny  God,  in  Thee  have  I  put  my  trust. — 
John  Barneveldt,  Advocate  and  Keeper  of  the  Seals  in  the 
newly  founded  State  of  Holland;  Pensionary  Rambolt, 
Horgenboets,  and  Hugo  Von  Grost,  or,  as  he  called  himself, 
Hugo  Grotius  (one  of  the  greatest  scholars  in  the  Arminian  and 
Calvinist  controversy),  were  arrested  by  command  of  Maurice 
of  Nassau,  the  Stadtholder.  The  three  prisoners  fasted  and 
prayed  in  their  separate  chambers,  and  each,  unknown  to  the 
other,  sang  the  sevefith  Psalm,  '  Preserve  me,  O  Lord,  for  in 
Thee  have  I  put  my  trust.' 

Barneveldt  was  executed  by  the  sword,  and  on  the  scaffold 
spoke  to  the  people  :  '  Men,  do  not  believe  that  I  am  a  traitor 
to  my  country.  I  have  ever  acted  uprightly  and  loyally  as  a 
good  patriot,  and  as  such  I  die ;'  and  we  are  told  there  was  not 
a  sound  in  answer.  He  then  took  a  silk  cap  from  his  servant, 
and  drew  it  over  his  eyes,  saying :  '  Christ  shall  be  my  guide. 
O  Lord  my  Heavenly  Father,  receive  my  spirit.'"^ 

Verse  2.  Lest  he  devour  iny  soul  like  a  lion,  and  tear  it  in 
pieces,  while  there  is  none  to  help. — This  verse  is  the  xlntiphon 
for  the  Office  for  the  Dead,  wherein  the  Church  prays  for  help 
against  the  assaults  of  him  who  '  walketh  about,  as  a  roaring 
lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour,'  thinking  vainly  that  there 
is  none  to  help,  for 

'  The  lamb  is  in  the  fold, 

In  perfect  safety  penned  ; 
The  lion  once  had  hold, 

And  thought  to  make  an  end  : 
But  One  came  by  with  wounded  side, 
And  for  the  sheep  the  Shepherd  died.'f 

Verse  1^.  If  a  man  ivill  not  turn,  He  will  whet  His  sword, 
He  hath  bent  His  bow  and??iade  it  ready. — Milton  has  furnished 
the  '  Filial  Godhead '  with  the  same  weapon  of  vengeance  : 

*   Cameos  fro7n  English  History,  cci. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  i.,  p.  132. 


48  PSALM -MOSAICS 

'  Go  then,  thou  Mightiest,  in  thy  Father's  might ; 
Ascend  my  chariot,  guide  the  rapid  wheels. 
That  shake  heaven's  basis  ;  bring  forth  all  my  war, 
]SIy  bow  and  thunder  ;  my  almighty  arms 
Gird  on,  and  sword  upon  thy  puissant  thigh.' 

Paradise  Lost,  vi.* 

Verse  17.  His  travail  shall  coine  upon  his  own  head^  and  his 
wickedness  shall  fall  on  his  oiun  pate. — Pate  =  head,  once  in 
Bible,  frequent  in  Shakespeare. 

'Enter,  skirmishing,  the   Retainers   of  Gloster  and   Winchester  with 
bloody  ^d.\.Qs.'— King  Henry  VI.,  ist  Part,  Act  III.,  Sc.  i. 

Cf.  also  King  Henry  VI.,  2nd  Part,  Act  II.,  Sc.  i.  : 

'  King  Henry.  O  God,  what  mischief  work  the  wicked  ones. 
Heaping  confusion  on  their  own  heads  thereby  !' 

Also  cf.  the  words  of  Suffolk  to  the  other  Lords  assembled  in 
the  council  chamber,  with  a  view  to  the  overthrow  of  Cranmer  : 

*  I  told  ye  all 
When  we  first  put  this  dangerous  stone  a-rolling, 
'Twould  fall  upon  ourselves.' 

King  Henry  VIII.  ^  Act  V.,  Sc.  ii.f 


PSALM  VIIL 

Headifig  (Delitzsch). — The  praise  of  the  Creator's  glory, 
sung  by  the  starry  heavens  to  puny  man. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Song  of  the  Astronomer. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David— a  prophecy  that 
sucklings,  children  and  youth  should  sing  with  Hosannas  to 
the  Lord. 

Origin  (Perowne).  — This  Eighth  Psalm  describes  the  im- 
pression produced  on  the  heart  of  David  as  he  gazed  upon  the 
heavens  by  night.  .  .  .  Nearly  all  critics  are  unanimous  in 
regarding  this  as  one  of  David's  Psalms ;  there  is  more  differ- 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  17. 
t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  pp.  41,  157. 


PSALM  VIII. 


49 


-ence  of  opinion  as  to  the  time  when  it  was  composed.  .  .  . 
David,  it  may  ahiiost  certainly  be  said,  is  still  young.  .  .  .  One 
thing  seems  clear,  that  even  if  the  Psalm  was  not  written 
during  David's  shepherd  life,  it  must,  at  least,  have  been 
written  while  the  memory  of  that  time  was  fresh  in  his  heart, 
and  before  the  bitter  expression  of  his  later  years  had  bowed 
and  saddened  his  spirit.  Beyond  this  we  cannot  speak  with 
anything  like  certainty. 

/;^  Church. — A  Psalm  in  the  Roman  office  for  Baptism  of 
Adults ;  also  a  Proper  Psalm  for  Ascension  Day.  Bishop 
Wordsworth  says  that  the  Church  in  using  this  Psalm  on  the 
festival  of  the  Ascension  of  her  Lord  into  heaven,  teaches  us 
its  meaning. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Martin  Luther,  labouring  under  a  strange 
■delusion,  fancied  a  dog  had  taken  possession  of  his  bed. 
Regarding  this  apparition  as  a  work  of  Satan,  the  terrified 
Luther  sunk  on  his  knees,  and  recited  the  eighth  Psalm.  His 
fears  were  soon  dispelled,  for  on  arising  he  found  himself  the 
■only  occupant  of  his  chamber. 

Verse  i.  How  excellent  is  Thy  Name  in  all  the  world. 

'  Jesu's  Name  all  good  doth  claim, 
Sweete.->t  sound  the  tongue  can  liame, 
Meriteth  imperial  famr. 

When  heard,  it  givelh  joy  : 
In  it  a  father's  glory  beams, 
In  it  a  mother's  beauty  seems, 
In  it  a  brother's  honour  gleams, 

It  lifteth  brethren  high  '* 

Verse  2.  Out  of  the  mouth  of  very  babes  and  sucklitigs  hast 
Thou  ordained  strength.— This  verse  forms  the  proheimon,  or 
prefatory  verse  before  the  Epistle  (Eph.  i.  16-20  ;  iii.  18-21)  in 
the  little  Service  provided  by  the  Greek  Church  for  the  purpose 
of  asking  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  duties  (school)  now 
resumed.     '  Out  of  the  mouth   of  babes  and  sucklings   hast 

*  Miss.  Sarisb.  The  Sequence,  _/es:is  dulcis  Nazai-enus  (Dr.  Ner le's 
•Commentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  142). 

4 


50  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Thou  ordained  praise.'  '  My  heart  shall  rejoice  in  Thy  salva- 
tion.'* 

Edward  Irving. — The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  of 
Edward  Irving's  wTitten  to  his  sister-in-law,  Elizabeth,  who  was- 
then  at  Kirkcaldy,  in  the  paternal  home  ;  the  date  of  the  letter 
is  October  13,  1830  : 

'  What  do  you  think  of  this  little  song  : 

"  Come,  My  little  lambs, 
And  feed  by  My  side, 
And  I  will  give  you  to  eat  of  My  Body, 
And  to  drink  of  the  Blood  of  My  Flesh, 
And  ye  shall  be  filled  with  the  Ho],y  Ghost, 
And  whosoever  believeth  not  on  Me 

Shall  be  cast  out  ; 
But  he  that  believeth  on  Me 
Shall  feed  with  Me 
Beside  My  Father." 

*  ...  I  called  the  child,  and  said  :  "  Maggie,  my  dear,  who> 
taught  you  that  song?"  She  said  :  "Nobody;  I  made  it  one 
day  after  bath  ;"  and  so  I  thought  upon  the  words,  "  Oiit  of  the 
month  of  babes  ajid  sncklhigs  I  have  ordained  praise''  and  I  was. 
comforted.  Read  it  to  your  father  and  mother,  and  tell  my 
dear  sister  Margaret  to  set  it  to  a  tune,  and  sing  it  of  an  evening 
at  her  house  when  she  goes  home,  and  think  of  the  sweet 
and  of  the  sad  hours  she,  as  well  as  you,  dear  Elizabeth,  have 
passed  with  us.'f 

George  Whitfield. — In  a  postscript  to  one  of  his  letters,  in 
which  he  details  his  persecution  when  first  preaching  at  Moor- 
fields,  Whitfield  says  :  '  I  cannot  help  adding  that  several  little 
boys  and  girls,  who  were  fond  of  sitting  round  me  on  the  pulpit 
where  I  preached,  and  handed  to  me  people's  notes — though 
they  were  often  pelted  with  eggs,  dirt,  etc.,  thrown  at  me — never 
once  gave  way,  but,  on  the  contrary,  every  time  I  was  struck 
turned  up  their  little  weeping  eyes  and  seemed  to  wish  they 
could  receive  the  blows  for  me.     God  make  them  in  their 

*  Sketches  of  the  Gmco-Riissian  Church,  p.  162. 
+  Life  of  Edivard  Irving^  p.  301. 


PSALM  VIII.  ■     51 

growing  years  great  and  living  martyrs  for  Him  who  "  out  of 
the  mouth  of  babes  a?id  sucklings  perfects  praise:'  '* 

Felicitas,  with  her  seven  sons,  was  left  a  widow  in  the 
voluptuous  court  of  Antoninus,  when  she  devoted  her  whole 
life  to  the  Christian  education  of  her  children,  or  to  deeds 
of  charity  and  mercy  to  the  poor  of  Rome.  It  was  the 
strict  life  of  the  mother  and  her  seven  boys  which  drove  the 
authorities  to  urge  on  the  attention  of  the  Emperor  the  import- 
ance of  ridding  Rome  of  them,  as  their  refusal  to  sacrifice 
induced  others  to  hesitate  about  the  same  practice.  The 
Emperor  yielded,  and  when  they  stood  before  the  judge  many 
were  there  to  see  them.  They  were  Roman  boys,  with  flashing 
eye  and  dark  Italian  hair.  Januarius,  the  eldest,  stood  first  by 
the  mother's  side — her  first-born.  Few  Roman  boys  could 
claim  so  dignified  a  manner  and  so  calm  a  front.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  lady  stood  little  Martial,  the  idol  of  all  at  home, 
with  blue  eyes  and  fair  hair.  On  either  side  were  Felix, 
Sylvanus,  Alexander,  Philip  and  Vitalis.  Such  was  the  group 
of  young  martyrs,  eagerly  gazing  at  the  magistrate  and  then  at 
their  mother.  There  was  a  deep  silence.  All  admired,  some 
pitied.  The  executioners  were  present  with  their  instruments 
of  torture. 

'  Woman,'  said  the  magistrate,  '  sacrifice.  You  never  will 
consign  to  an  ignominious  and  cruel  death  such  boys  as  those  !' 
'  Sir,'  said  FeUcitas,  '  we  do  not  count  the  martyr's  death  igno- 
minious ;  and  as  to  the  cruelty  or  pain,  do  you  imagine  that 
Roman  Christians  will  not  bear  that  for  the  King  of  Martyrs 
which  they  will  for  the  Emperor?'  '  Woman,'  said  the  angry 
mac^istrate,  '  you  dare  not  as  a  mother  let  these  children  die 
simply  because jiw/  refuse  to  sacrifice  !'  'Let  me  speak,'  said 
little  Martial,  looking  up  into  his  mother's  face,  while  he 
covered  her  hand  with  kisses.  Januarius  had  stepped  forward, 
but  the  movement  of  Martial  made  him  pause.  The  mother 
consented.     '  Speak,  my  child,'  said  she ;  '  out  of  the  mouth  oj 

*   Treasury  of  David,  vol.  i.,  p.  90. 


52  PSALM-MOSAICS 

babes  and  sucklings  He  perfecteih  praise.'  Fearless  and  calm, 
the  young  boy  stepped  forward.  '  Sir,'  said  he,  as  he  sunk 
with  one  knee  on  the  step,  '  my  mother  bids  me  speak.  I  am 
the  youngest  here,  and  1  know  that  my  six  brothers  all  hold  to 
what  1  say.  We  are  all  Christians,  servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  has  promised  to  those  who  love  Him  to  the  death 
a  glorious  home  above.  We  will  7iot  sacrifice,  and  if  He  will 
help  us.  we  will  go  to  any  death  you  may  choose.  But  we  will 
never  give  up  Jesus.'  He  remained  kneeling  ;  he  yet  had  a 
prayer  to  offer.  '  Sir,  may  I  ask  one  favour  ?  Let  me  die  first, 
and  that  may  help  my  brothers.'  The  magistrate's  fury  now 
took  the  place  of  persuasion.  Each  in  turn  was  taken  out  and 
scourged,  and  then,  bleeding,  lacerated  and  weak,  they  were  led 
to  separate  dungeons.  They  spent  the  night  in  earnest  prayer 
and  songs  of  praise,  and  often  Kttle  Martial's  voice  rang  clear 
above  all.  The  morning  broke  at  last,  and  they  were  again 
brought  out  before  the  magistrate,  who  looked  more  wrathful 
than  ever.  '  Let  the  child  come  first ;  he  asked  for  it,  and  he 
shall  have  it.'  'Go,  my  beloved  child,'  said  the  mother — '  go 
and  lead  the  way  for  us.  ^^  first  to  see  the  Lord,  dc^d.  first  to 
wear  His  crown.'  The  child  knelt,  and  as  the  name  of  Jesus 
crossed  his  lips,  the  sword  of  the  executioner  struck  his  head 
from  his  body.  Januarius  was  hurried  away  and  beaten  to 
death  with  lashes  laden  with  lead.  Felix  and  Philip  were  more 
quickly  despatched  with  clubs.  Sylvanus  was  hurled  over  a 
precipice.  Vitalis  and  Alexander  were,  like  Martial,  beheaded. 
Felicitas  had  seen  the  last  of  her  boys.  She  had  hoped  that 
she  was  to  follow,  but  the  refined  cruelty  of  her  tormentor 
ordered  her  back  to  her  dungeon,  where  she  remained  four 
weary  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  she  was  condemned  to 
die  by  beheading.* 

Verse  2.  That  thou  mighfest  still  the  enemy  and  the  avenger. — 
The  Italic  version  has,  '  that  Thou  mightest  still  the  enemy  and 
the  defender:  This  verse,  happening  to  occur  in  the  Psalms,  was 

*  Rev.  E.  Monro:  Monthly  Packet^  vol.  ii.,  p.  420. 


PSALM  VIII.  53 

taken  as  a  direct  sign  from  heaven  of  approval  of  the  consecra- 
tion of  St.  Martin  to  the  Episcopate,  his  chief  opponent  being 
a  prelate  named  Defensor. 

Verse  4.    What  is  man.,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him  ;  and 
the  soti  of  man.,  that  Thoit  visitest  him  ? 

'  Lord,  what  is  man  that  Thou 

So  mindful  an  of  him?     Or  what's  the  son 
Of  man,  that  Thou  the  highest  heaven  didst  bow, 
And  to  his  aide  didst  runne? 

'  Man's  but  a  piece  of  clay 
That's  animated  by  Thy  heavenly  breath, 
And  when  that  breath  Thou  tak'st  away, 
Hee's  clay  again  by  death. 
He  is  not  worthy  of  the  least 
Of  all  Thy  mercies  at  the  besi. 

*  Baser  than  clay  is  he. 
For  sin  hath  made  him  like  the  beasts  that  perish, 
Though  next  the  angels  he  was  in  degree  ; 
Yet  this  beast  Thou  dost  cherish. 
He  is  not  worthy  of  the  least 
Of  all  Thy  nit-rcies  ;  hee's  a  beast. 

'  Worse  than  a  beast  is  man. 
Who,  after  Thine  own  image  made  at  first, 
Became  the  divel's  sonne  by  sin.     And  can 
A  thing  lie  more  accurst? 
Yet  Thou  Thy  greatest  mercy  hast 
On  this  accursed  creature  cast. 

'  Thou  didst  Thyself  abase. 

And  put  off  all  Tiiy  robes  of  majesty. 
Taking  his  nature  to  give  him  Thy  grace. 
To  save  his  life  didst  dye. 

He  is  not  worthy  of  the  least 

Of  all  Thy  mercies  ;  one's  a  feast. 

'  Lo  !  man  is  made  now  even 
With  the  blest  angels,  yea,  superiour  farre. 
Since  Christ  sat  down  at  God's  right  hand  in  heaven. 
And  God  and  man  are  one. 
Thus  all  Thy  mercies  man  inherits, 
Though  not  the  least  of  them  he  merits.'* 

Verse  ^.    To  crown  him  with  glory  and  worship. — From  the 

earhest  Christian  epochs  we  find  the  crown  looked  upon  as  an 

emblem  of  everlasting  glory,  remembering  the  verses  in  the 

Psalms  :     '  Thou   hast   croivned  him  with  glory  and  honour  ; 

*  Thomas  Washbourne,  D.D.,  1654. 


54  PSALM.MOSAICS 

*  Thou  hast  set  a  crown  of  pure  gold  on  his  head ;'  as  well  as 
the  words  of  St.  Paul,  '  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
crown  of  righteousness.' 

De  Rossi  has  discovered,  after  much  hard  work,  a  painting 
of  St.  Cecilia  on  the  walls  of  one  of  the  cemeteries,  which  leads 
him  to  suppose  that  the  burial-place  of  this,  one  of  the  four 
great  virgins  of  the  Latin  Church  could  not  be  far  distant. 
St.  Cecilia  has  a  glory  round  her  head,  with  a  crown  in  the  front 
of  her  robe,  calling  to  mind  the  reward  foreshadowed  in  Solo- 
mon's time  to  the  godly  :  '  But  the  righteous  live  for  evermore  ; 
their  reward  also  is  with  the  Lord,  and  the  care  of  them  is 
with  the  Most  High.  Therefore  shall  they  receive  a  glorious 
kingdom,  and  a  beautiful  crown  from  the  Lord's  hand :  for 
with  His  right  hand  shall  He  crown  them,  and  with  His  arms 
shall  He  protect  them' (Wisdom  v.  15,  16).  St.  Eucharius, 
writing  in  the  fourth  century,  speaks  of  the  crown,  as  then 
looked  upon,  as  an  emblem  of  everlasting  glory,  'Corona 
aeternse  gloriae.'  Indeed,  in  the  days  of  the  Early  Church, 
crown  and  martyr  were  synonymous ;  and  in  the  Acts  of 
Polycarp  we  read  '  that  he  was  crowned  with  an  incorruptible 
crown. '"^ 


PSALM  IX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Hymn  to  the  Righteous  Judge  after 
a  defeat  of  hostile  peoples. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  Psalm  concerning  the  death  of  the 
Son. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David.  The  Session  of  the 
Messiah,  and  His  reception  of  the  kingdom,  and  frustration  of 
the  enemy. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Throughout,  with  the  exception  of 
verse    13,   the    Psalm    is    one    continued    strain    of  triumph. 

*  Monthly  Packet,  vol.  xxii.,  p.  216. 


PSALM  IX.  55 

Hence,  by  many  it  has  been  regarded  as  a  song  of  victory, 
■composed  perhaps  by  David  at  the  conclusion  of  the  Syro- 
Ammonite  war,  or  after  one  of  his  victories  over  the  PhiUstines. 

T/ie  Whole  Psalm.— T\{\'i  is  the  first  of  the  Alphabetical 
Psalms,  which  are  Psalms  9,  10,  25,  34,  iii,  112,  119,  145. 
.  .  .  This  mode  of  writing  acrostically  has  been  adopted 
by  the  Christian  Church.  We  may  refer  for  specimens 
of  it  to  the  anti-Donatistic  '  Hymnus  Abecedarius  '  of  St. 
Augustine  (torn,  ix.),  and  to  the  poems  of  Gregory  Nazianzen, 
and  to  the  hymns,  '  A  Solis  Ortils  Cardine '  of  Sedulius.  .  .  . 
Here  each  of  the  lines  of  verses  i  and  2  begin  with  aleph^  those 
of  verses  3  and  4  with  beth  {daleth  is  omitted),  and  so  till,  with 
some  variations  as  to  the  length  of  the  stanzas,  we  come  to 
verse  17,  which  begins  with  jW;  and  verse  12  of  Psalm  10 
begins  with  cap/i,  verse  14  with  resh,  verse  15  with  shin,  verse 
17  with  than.  Thus  this  ninth  is  coupled  with  the  following, 
and  they  form  a  pair.  Indeed,  in  the  Vulg.,  and  some  other 
versions,  they  make  one  Psalm. "^ 

Verse  11.  O  praise  the  Lord  which  dwelleth  in  Sion :  show 
the  people  of  His  doi?igs. — These  words  suggested  to  Pere  de 
Beralle  the  idea  of  founding  in  France  the  Congregation  of 
the  Oratory.  De  Berulle  was  afterwards  made  a  cardinal 
greatly  against  his  will,  and  not  before  he  successively  refused 
the  Bishoprics  of  Laon,  Nantes  and  Lugon,  and  the  Arch- 
bishopric of  Lyons.  It  is  always  hard  for  great  people  to 
understand  a  man's  indifference  to  position  and  wealth,  and 
Henry  IV.  was  not  a  little  perplexed  at  de  Berulle's  steady 
refusal  of  all  his  offers.  '  You  will  not  receive  what  I  offer  ?' 
the  King  said  petulantly  one  day,  '  then  I  shall  get  some  one 
else  to  order  you  to  do  so  !'  meaning,  of  course,  the  Pope. 
'Sire,'  de  Berulle  answered,  'if  your  Majesty  presses  me  thus, 
1  shall  be  constrained  to  quit  the  kingdom.' 

The  king  turned  to  Bellegarde,  saying  :   '  I  have  done  every- 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary^  p.  12. 


so  PSALM. MOSAICS 

thing  in  my  power  to  tempt  him,  and  have  failed  ;  I  don't 
believe  there  is  another  man  in  the  world  who  would  resist  so 
firmly  !  As  to  that  man,'  he  used  henceforth  to  say,  '  he  is  a. 
very  saint,  he  has  never  lost  his  baptismal  innocence.' 

De  Berulle's  influence  among  the  Huguenots  was  great,  and 
he  made  many  conversions  ;  so  that  Cardinal  du  Perron  made 
one  of  his  telling  remarks,  so  often  quoted,  '  If  you  want  to 
coiivi7ice  a  heretic,  bring  him  to  me  ;  if  you  want  to  converf 
him,  take  him  to  M.  de  Geneve  (Francis  de  Sales);  but  if  you 
want  both  to  convince  and  convert  him  at  once,  take  him  to- 
M.  de  Berulle!' 

Two  years  after  his  ordination,  de  Berulle  was  saying  his. 
office,  when  one  of  those  peculiar  and  unaccountable  im- 
pressions, which  most  of  us  have  experienced  some  time  or 
other,  was  made  upon  him  as  he  repeated  the  words  'Annun- 
tiate  inter  gentes  studia  ejus,' '  O praise  the  Lord  which  dwelleth 
in  Sion  ;  shotv  the  people  of  His  doi?tgs^  (Ps.  ix.  ii).  A  strong 
desire  was  kindled  in  his  mind  to  see  a  company  of  priests 
arise,  whose  mission  should  be  to  preach  and  teach  the  Love 
of  God  among  all  people.* 

Verse  12.  For  when  He  inaketh  inquisition  for  blood,  He 
i'eme?nbereth  the?n,  and  forgetteth  not  the  complaint  of  the 
poor. — '  I  fear  more  for  the  rich  than  for  the  most  degraded 
poor,  more  for  Belgravia  than  for  St.  Giles'  ;  for  the  more 
light  there  is,  the  more  responsibility.'  Words  of  mournful 
foreboding  from  one  to  whom  East  London  had  been  a  subject 
of  deep  anxiety  for  half  a  century,  Dr.  Pusey. 

Knowing  the  horrors  of  those  dark  places  and  cruel  habita- 
tions of  our  land,  he  yet  feared  more  for  those  who  dwell  at  ease, 
surrounded  by  outward  refinement,  beauty  and  culture.  *■  For 
wheii  He  ?naketh  inquisition  for  blood,  He  remembereth  theniy 
and  forgetteth  not  the  co7?iplaint  of  the  poor. ^ 

It  was  of  this  Mission  that  Bishop  Wilberforce  said  :  '  I  long: 
to  go  and  cast  myself  into  that  Mission.     There  is  a  field  in 

*  Priestly  Life  in  France,  p.  44. 


PSALM  IX.  57 

East  London  for  as  noble  and  knightly  adventure,  as  ever  was 
achieved  by  England's  chivalry.'"^ 

Ve?'se  14.  Thai  I  may  shew  all  thy  praises  tvithin  the  ports 
of  the  daughter  of  Sion. — In  the  Bible  '  gates.'  The  word  does 
not  occur,  I  believe,  at  all  in  the  Bible,  either  in  this  sense 
(though  'porter'  does  several  times),  or  in  its  more  modern 
use  for  harbour ;  Latin,  portus.  Shakspeare  uses  it  in  both 
senses,  even  in  the  same  play  : 

'  Hark,  the  Duke's  trumpets  1     I  know  not  why  he  comes  :  — 
K\\ ports  I'll  bar.' 

Kiiio  Lear,  Act  IT.,  Sc.  i. 

'  1^0  port  is  free,  no  place 
Doesn't  attend  my  taking. 

Ibid.,  Sc.  iii. 

'Then  is  all  safe  !  the  anchor's  in  the />£>;'/.' 

TitiLs  Andron.,  Act  IV.,  Sc.  iv.+ 

Verse  15.  The  heatheti  are  sunk  down  in  the  pit  that  they 
?nade :  in  the  same  net  which  they  hid  privily.,  is  their  foot 
taken. — Perhaps  the  most  striking  instance  on  record  (of  the 
wicked  snared  in  his  own  trap),  next  to  Haman  on  his  own 
gallows,  is  one  connected  with  the  horrors  of  the  French 
Revolution,  in  which  we  are  told  that,  within  nine  months  of 
the  death  of  the  Queen  Marie  Antoinette  by  the  guillotine, 
every  one  implicated  in  her  untimely  end,  her  accusers,  the 
judges,  the  jury,  the  prosecutors,  the  witnesses,  all,  every  one 
at  least  whose  fate  is  known,  perished  by  the  same  instrument 
as  their  innocent  victim.  '  In  the  net  which  they  laid  for  her 
was  their  own  foot  taken  ;  into  the  pit  which  they  digged  for 
her  did  they  themselves  fall.'l 

Verse  16.  The  Lord  is  known  to  execute  judgme?it :  the  un- 
godly is  trapped  in  the  woi'k  of  His  own  hands. — So  the  Egyptians 
that  had  cast  the  Israelite  children  into  the  river,  found  the 
waters  of  that  river  changed  into  blood ;  so  Haman,  that  had 

*   Charles  Loivder,  by  the  Author  of  The  Life  of  S.  Teresa,  Preface,  p.  xiii. 

t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p    39. 

%  Daily  Comments  on  the  Psalms,  by  Barton  Bouchier,  vol.  i.,  p.  50. 


58  PSALM-MOSAICS 

raised  the  gallows  fifty  cubits  high,  was  hanged  on  those  very 
gallows ;  so  Holofernes,  that  sought  the  ruin  of  Judith,  by  the 
hand  of  Judith  was  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  sin  ;  so  the 
Egyptian,  the  goodly  man  that  thought  to  have  slain  Benaiah 
with  his  spear,  was  by  that  very  spear  himself  destroyed ;  so 
they  that  had  laid  the  false  accusation  against  Daniel,  were 
themselves  cast  into  the  den  of  lions,  '  and  the  lions  had  the 
mastery  over  them,  and  brake  all  their  bones  in  pieces,  or  ever 
they  came  at  the  bottom  of  the  den  ;'  so  in  later  times,  Galerius 
and  Maximian,  inventors  of  unheard-of  and  fearful  tortures, 
perished  by  diseases  unknown  to  physicians,  and  horrible 
beyond  the  power  of  words  to  describe ;  so  ^^geas,  that 
sentenced  St.  Andrew  to  the  Cross  ;  so  Quintian,  that  inflicted 
on  St.  Agatha  such  extremity  of  torture,  were  themselves, 
almost  in  the  very  act  of  unrighteous  judgment,  summoned  to 
appear  before  the  righteous  bar  of  God."^ 

PSALM  X. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Plaintive  and  supplicatory  prayer 
under  the  pressure  of  heathenish  foes  at  home  and  abroad. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Cry  of  the  Oppressed. 

Co7iie?its  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Concerning  the 
exaltation  of  Satan  over  Adam  and  his  race  ;  and  how  the 
Messiah  defeated  his  boasting. 

Origin  (Perowne). — It  is  impossible  to  say  to  what  period 
of  Jewish  history  the  Psalm  is  to  be  referred.  The  state  of 
Society  which  it  supposes  is  peculiar.  The  violent  oppressions 
belonged  apparently  to  heathen  nations,  who  had  not  yet  been 
finally  driven  out  of  the  land,  but  whose  speedy  destruction 
the  poet  contemplates  (verse  i6). 

Ve7'se  9.  For  he  lieth  7vaith?g  secretly,  even  as  a  lion  lurketh 
he  in  his  den,  that  he  may  ravish  the  poor. — Francis   Quarles 

*  Dr.  Neale  on  Psalms,  vol.  i. ,  p.  159. 


PSALM  X.  59 

{1592-1644)  quaintly  illustrates  the   dangers  pictured  in   this 
and  preceding  verses. 

'  The  close  pursuers'  busy  hands  do  plant 
Snares  in  thy  substance  ;  snares  attend  thy  want ; 
Snares  in  thy  credit  ;  snares  in  thy  disgrace  ; 
Snares  in  thy  high  estate  ;  snares  in  thy  base  ; 
Snares  tuck  thy  bed,  and  snares  surround  thy  board  ; 
Snares  watch  thy  thoughts,  and  snares  attack  thy  word 

*  Snares  in  thy  quiet ;  snares  in  ihy  commotion  ; 
Snares  in  thy  diet ;  snares  in  thy  devotion  ; 
Snares  lurk  in  thy  resolves  ;  snares  in  thy  doubt ; 
Snares  lie  within  thy  heart,  and  snares  without ; 
Snares  are  above  thy  head,  and  snares  beneath  ; 
Snares  in  thy  sickness  ;  snares  are  in  thy  death.' 

Verse  19.  Lord,  Thou  hast  heard  the  desire  of  the  poor :  Thou 
preparest  their  heart,  and  Thine  ear  hearkeneth  thereto. — St. 
Vincent  de  Paul  was  never  weary  of  asking  all  good  Christians — 
men  and  women,  religious  and  secular — to  pray  for  the  Clergy, 
especially  all  those  about  to  be  ordained  in  the  Ember  weeks. 
A  humble  man,  going  about  his  usual  work,  yet  from  time  to 
time  lifting  up  his  heart  in  prayer,  may  do  much  to  forward 
the  Church's  life,  he  said. 

Speaking  of  this  one  day  in  a  Conference,  St.  Vincent  began 
to  quote  the  Psalm,  '  Desideriuni  pauperiim  exaudivit  Tominus:'' 
and  not  being  able  to  continue  the  quotation,  he  turned  in  his 
simple  way  to  his  listeners,  saying :  '  Who  will  help  me  ?' 
Whereupon  someone  immediately  finished  the  verse,  ^prepara- 
tionem  cordis  eorum  audivit  auris  tua.'  '  God  bless  you,  sir  !' 
Vincent  replied  fit  was  his  usual  way  of  expressing  thanks) ; 
and  he  went  on  with  his  subject."^ 


PSALM  XL 

Headijig  (Delitzsch). — Refusal  to  flee  when   in  a  perilous 
situation. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— The  Song  of  the  Steadfast. 

*  Priestly  Life  in  France,  p.  239. 


6o  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Contefiis  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — When  the  people 
grieved,  because  he  and  his  sons  were  driven  into  captivity ; 
and  signifying  now  to  us  Victory  over  the  adversary. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  Psalm  is  so  short,  and  so  general 
in  its  character,  that  it  is  not  easy  to  say  to  what  circumstances 
in  David's  life  it  should  be  referred.  The  choice  seems,  how- 
ever, to  lie  between  his  persecution  by  Saul,  and  the  rebellion 
of  his  son  Absalom. 

Verse  4.    The  Lord  is  in  His  holy  temple,  the  Lord's  seat  is 

in  Heaven. — Milton,  in  his  sublime  description  of  the  return 

of  the  Son  from  the  conquest  of  the  rebel  angels,  uses  the 

same  phrase  : 

'.   .   .   .   He,  celebrated,  rode 
Triumphant  through  mid  heaven,  into  the  courts 
And  temple  of  His  Mighty  Father,  thron'd 
On  high  :   who  into  glory  Him  receiv'd, 
Where  now  He  siis  at  the  right  hand  of  bliss. 

Pa7-adise  Lost,  vi.* 

Verse  7. —  Upon  the  tin  godly  He  shall  rai?i  s?iares,  Jire  and 
brimstone,  storm  and  tempest ;  this  shall  be  their  portion  to  drink. 
— This  prophecy  received  its  accomplishment  in  the  reception 
of  Christ  into  glory ;  and  through  Him  it  will  be  fulfilled  in  all 
the  faithful.  Accordingly,  this  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the 
Latin  Church  for  use  on  the  Festival  of  the  Ascension,  f 

Dio7iysiiis  of  Carthage,  in  his  Rhythm,  Homo  Dei  creatura^ 
illustrates  the  thought  of  this  verse  : 

'  The  fiery  storm  ;  the  frozen  blast  ; 

The  darkness  thickly  spread  ; 
The  shrieks  of  anguish  rolling  past  ; 

The  stench,  as  of  the  dead  ; 
The  pressure  close  ;  the  siirting  breath  ; 
The  sense  of  everlasting  death  ; 

The  hellish  crew  ;  the  spectres  dim  ; 
The  fear,  the  thirst  unquenchable  ; 
All  these  with  bitter  torments  fill 

Their  chalice  to  the  brim.':J: 

*    The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  31. 
t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Coz/unentajy,  p.  15. 
X  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  p.  174. 


PSALM  XII. 


PSAI.M  XIL 


Heading  (Delitzsch). — Lament  and  consolation  in  the  midst 
of  prevailing  falsehood. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Good  Thoughts  in  Bad  Times. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — The  contention  of 
the  wicked,  and  a  prophecy  of  the  coming  of  the  Messiah. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This,  according  to  title,  is  one  of  David's 
Psalms  ;  but  there  is  nothing  in  the  circumstances,  so  far  as 
"we  know  them,  of  his  history,  which  can  lead  us  to  associate 
the  Psalm  with  any  particular  period.  But  it  is  not  one  or  two 
prominent  individuals,  whose  conduct  forms  the  burden  of  the 
Psalmist's  complaint.  He  is  evidently  smarting  from  the  false- 
ness and  hypocrisy  of  the  time.  The  defection  which  he 
•deplores  is  a  general  defection. 

Whole  Psahn. — This  Psalm  was  used  by  the  Jews  at  a 
•circumcision,  when  infants  were  brought  into  covenant  with 
the  Lord,  whose  protection  is  here  assured  to  His  faithful 
.servants,  in  a  faithless  age."^ 

Luther  composed  his  hymn,  '  Lord,  look  down  from  heaven  ' 
•('Ach  Gott  vom  Himmel  sich  darein ')  after  this  Psalm. 

Verse  i.  For  the  faithful  are  minished. — Luther  glosses, 
Amens-Leute,  Amen-folk,  i.e.,  those  whose  heart  towards  God 
and  their  neighbours  is  true  and  earnest,  like  the  Amen  of  a 
prayer,  t 

Verse  2.  They  talk  of  vanity  every  one  with  his  neighbour. — 
It  is  a  sad  thing  when  it  is  the  fashion  to  talk  vanity.  '  Ca'  me, 
and  I'll  ca'  thee,'  is  the  old  Scotch  proverb ;  give  me  a  high- 
sounding  character,  and  I  will  give  you  one.  Compliments 
and  fawning  congratulations  are  hateful  to  honest  men ;  they 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Covunentary,  p.  16. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  172. 


62  PSALM-MOSAICS 

know  that  if  they  take,  they  must  give  them,  and  they  scorn  ta 
do  either.* 

Verses  3  to  8.  The  Lord  shall  root  out  all  deceitful  lips ; 
and  the  tongue  that  speaketh  proud  things. — It  is  the  remark  of 
some  old  Puritan  writer  (Thomas  Adams,  1630),  that  the  Lord 
has  given  us  all  our  other  members  two-fold — two  eyes,  two 
ears,  two  hands,  two  feet ;  but  only  one  tongue,  as  we  were 
not  fitted  to  be  intrusted  with  more ;  and  when  one  thinks  of 
all  the  unnumbered  words  of  sin,  which  must  enter  into  the 
ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth  from  every  tongue,  in  every  clime, 
one  may  talk  of  the  long  suffering  of  God,  but  it  can  never 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  any  to  conceive  of  that  for- 
bearance which  is  provoked  every  day.t 


PSALM  XIIL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Suppliant  cry  of  one  who  is  utterly 
undone. 

Title  (^spurgeon). — We  have  been  wont  to  call  this  the  '  How 
Long  Psalm.' 

Cjntents  (Syriac). — The  power  of  the  adversary,  and  the 
expectation  of  the  Lord,  and  of  the  help  that  cometh  from 
Him. 

Origin  (Perowne). — In  this  Psalm  we  see  a  servant  of  Goi> 
long  and  sorely  tried  by  the  persecutions  of  unrelenting 
enemies,  and,  as  it  seems  to  himself,  forgotten  and  forsaken  of 
God,  pouring  out  the  agony  of  his  soul  in  prayer  ...  at  last 
Faith  asserts  her  perfect  victory  (verse  5). 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  the  third  Psalm  at  the  Greek  late 
Evensong. 

Verse    3.  Lighten   mitie   eyes,   that  I  sleep  ?iot  in  death.^- 

*    The  Treasxiry  of  David,  vol.  i.,  p.  159. 

t  Daily  Comments  on  the  Psalms,  by  Barton  Bouchierj  vol.  i.,  p.  68. 


PSALM  XIII.  65 

Bishop  Burgess  was  Bishop  of  Maine ;  he  died  on  the  23rd  of 
April,  1866,  on  his  return  voyage  from  Hayti — where  he  had 
been  ordaining — and  within  the  waters  of  the  island,  off  the 
coast  of  Miragoane.  At  sunrise  on  the  22nd  he  embarked  ; 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  while  resting  on  deck,  with  no 
warning  which  he  could  recognise,  and  with  but  a  few  minutes' 
warning  to  the  single  watcher  (his  wife)  by  his  side,  he  was 
called  to  his  heavenly  home.  It  was  less  like  death,  than  like 
a  translation.  '  He  walked  with  God,  and  he  was  not ;  for 
God  took  him.'  On  the  last  morning  of  his  life,  he  read  as 
usual  the  two  chapters.  They  were  Psalm  xiii.,  containing 
the  words,  '  Lighten  mine  eyes,  lest  I  sleep  the  sleep  of  deaths' 
and  the  twenty-second  chapter  of  St.  Luke,  in  which  is  our 
Saviour's  promise  to  the  penitent  thief :  '  This  day  shalt  thou  be 
with  Me  in  Paradise.' 

The  last  selection  from  the  Psalter  Vv'hich  he  read  on  the 
preceding  day,  for  the  22nd  of  the  month,  was  no  less  striking, 
if  we  consider  the  words  only,  and  forget  that  they  were  intended 
as  a  denunciation  :  '  Let  his  children  be  fatherless,  and  his 
wife  a  widow,  and  his  bishopric  let  another  take.'* 

When  the  little  Princess  Anne  Stuart,  daughter  of  Kincr 
Charles  I.,  lay  dying  at  four  years  of  age,  she  said  she  could  not 
say  her  '  long  prayer '  (Our  Father),  but  added,  '  I  can  say  my 
short  prayer,  "  Lighten  mine  eyes,  that  I  sleep  ?iot  in  death" 
Having  said  which  she  fell  asleep,  and  entered  into  eternal 
life. 

Verses  3  and  4.  Lighten  mine  eyes,  that  I  sleep  not  in  death. 
Lest  mine  enemy  say,  L  have  prevailed  against  him  ;  for  if  I  he 
cast  doiv?i,  they  that  trouble  me  will  rejoice  at  it. — Archdeacon 
Freeman  traces  several  resemblances  to  the  Eastern  Office  of 
Compline  in  our  Evening  Service.  He  notices  especially  the 
repetition  of  the  Creed  (Nicene)  and  the  Lord's  Prayer,  followed 
by  a  prayer-like  hymn  for  illumination  and  protection.  This 
hymn  was  founded  on  the  Psalms  used  in  the  office.     It  is  as 

*  Memoir  of  Bishop  Burgess  of  Alaine. 


64  PSALM-MOSAICS 

follows,  ^  Lighte7i  mine  eyes,  O  Christ  viy  God,  that  I  sleep  not 
in  death  ;  lest  mine  enemy  say,  I  have  prevailed  agaifist  him  ' 
{Psalm  xiii.  3,  4).  'Be  Thou  the  helper  of  my  soul,  O 
God,  for  I  walk  through  the  midst  of  snares ;  deliver  me  from 
them,  and  save  me,  Thou  that  art  good,  as  being  the  lover  of 
men'  (Ps.  xxxi.  i,  3,  5  ;  (/^  Ps.  xci.  2,  3).  In  this  hymn  Mr, 
f'reeman  finds  the  original  of  our  third  Collect.* 

The  Prayer-like  hymn  mentioned  by  Archdeacon  Freeman 
is  no  doubt  the  Evening  Hymn  of  St.  Anatolius,  who  was 
raised  to  the  Patriarchal  throne  of  Constantinople  in  449  a.d. 
This  hymn  is  number  21  in  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern,  but 
some  of  the  most  beautiful  verses  are  omitted,  including  the 
one  on  these  verses  of  this  Psalm. 

'  Lighten  mine  eyes,  O  Saviour, 
Or  sleep  in  death  shall  I  ; 
And  he,  my  wakeful  tempter, 
Triumphantly  shall  cry  : 
"  He  could  not  make  their  darkness  light, 
Nor  guard  them  through  the  hour  of  night  !"  ' 

Dr.  Neale,  however,  in  his  Hymns  of  the  Eastern  Church, 
says  that  he  believes  that  this  hymn  is  not  used  in  the  public 
service  of  the  Greek  Church.  'It  is  to  the  scattered  hamlets 
of  Chios  and  Mitylene  what  Bishop  Ken's  Evening  Hymn  is 
to  the  villages  of  our  own  land ;  and  its  melody  is  singularly 
plaintive  and  soothing.' 

Verse  3.  Cofisider  and  hear  7ne,  O  Lord  my  God ;  Ugh' en 
niine  eyes,  that  I  sleep  7iot  in  death. — The  chronicles  of  Gidding 
€nd  with  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  We  have  only  scattered 
notices,  a  brief  note  on  the  margin  of  a  manuscript,  an  occa- 
sional sentence  in  a  letter,  to  show  how  the  Ferrars  and  Colletts 
lived  through  these  years  of  distress  and  disaster.  During  the 
brief  breathing  space, — in  1647,  during  the  negotiations  between 
Charles  and  the  Parliament,  Mr.  John  Ferrar  brought  his  family 
back  to  Gidding. 

*  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  71. 


PSALM  XIII.  65 

On  July  27  Dr.  Busby  communicates  the  news  to  their  mutual 
friend,  Dr.  Basire  (an  exile  at  Rouen  for  conscience'  sake).  '  A 
dead  numnes  hath  these  many  years  fall'n  on  my  spirits,  as  upon 
the  nation  ;  join  with  me  in  versicle,  "  O  Lord  my  God,  lighten 
my  eyes,  that  I  sleep  not  in  deathJ^  All  things  at  this  time  are 
in  so  dubious  a  calme,  that  the  fear  is  greatest  when  the  danger 
is  less  ...  Mr.  Thuscrosse  is  again  settled  in  Yorkshire,  Mr. 
Ferrar  with  his  family  at  Gidding  long  since,  Mr.  Mapletoft  hath 
a  good  living.     All  remember  you,  the  Joseph  in  affliction.'* 

Verse  5.  My  heart  is  joyful  in  Thy  salvation. -My  heart 
shall  rejoice  in  Thy  salvation.  These  words  are  painted  over 
the  Chapel  erected  by  the  people  at  St.  Petersburg  to  com- 
memorate the  failure  of  the  attempt  to  assassinate  the  Emperor 
Alexander  II.  (in  1866).  In  the  short  space  of  one  year  a 
beautiful  little  edifice  was  completed,  in  which  serdobolsk 
granite,  Carrara  marble,  and  lapis  lazuli,  all  highly  polished, 
are  mingled  with  exquisite  taste.  ...  On  each  of  the  four 
sides  on  the  shields  are  colossal  heads,  painted  by  Professor 
Sarokine,  representing,  on  a  golden  ground,  the  Saviour,  the 
Holy  Virgin,  St.  Joseph  the  Psalm-Writer,  and  SS.  George  and 
Zosius,  the  memory  of  whom  is  celebrated  by  the  Church  on 
the  4th  of  April,  as  well  as  that  of  St.  Joseph.  Above  each 
arch  are  appropriate  texts  in  brilliantly  gilt  and  glistering 
letters;  that  facing  the  Neva,  and  consequently  just  over  the 
place  where  Providence  preserved  the  life  of  the  Emperor,  is 
'  Touch  not  mine  anointed,'  Psalm  cv.  15.  On  the  two  other 
sides,  'The  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee,^ 
Luke  i.  35;  'My  heart  shall  rejoice  in  Thy  salvation. 
Psalm  xiii.  5.  The  cost  of  this  chapel  was  67,000  silver 
roubles.! 

PSALM  XIV. 
Heading  (Delitzsch).-The   prevailing  corruption   and   the 
redemption  desired. 

*  Nicholas  Ferrar,  edited  by  Canon  Carter,  p.  313- 

+  Sketches  of  the  Grceco- Russian  Church,  by  H.  C.  Romanoff,  p.  295. 


66  PSALM -MOSAICS 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Concerning  Practical  Atheism. 

Co7iients  (Syriac). — The  expectation  of  the  ^Messiah. 

Origin  (Perowne). — There  is  nothing  in  the  Psalm  which 
can  lead  us  to  fix  its  date  or  authorship  precisely.  The 
feeling  is  common  enough  at  all  times  in  men  of  earnest 
mind  .  .  .  verse  7  looks  certainly  very  much  like  a  later 
liturgical  addition.  ...  It  is  better  to  adopt  this  explanation 
than  to  throw  the  whole  Psalm  as  late  as  the  Exile. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — It  will  be  seen  on  comparing  the 
Prayer  Book  version  of  this  Psalm  with  that  of  the  Bible, 
that  the  former  contains  three  verses  (5-7)  which  the  latter 
does  not.  These  verses  have  no  place  in  the  Hebrew,  and 
were  no  doubt  introduced  into  the  Latin  version  from  St. 
Paul's  quotation  (Rom.  iii.  13-18),  which  is  a  general  cento 
from  various  parts  of  Scripture.^ 

Queen  Elizabeth's  Version. — It  is  an  interesting  fact  that 
not  only  is  Henry  VIII.  believed  to  have  composed  certain 
anthems  still  extant,  but  Queen  Elizabeth  occasionally  em- 
ployed herself  in  the  same  manner  ;  '  two  little  Anthems,  or 
things  in  metre,'  having  been  licensed  by  her  printer  in  1578  ; 
and  in  1548,  her  Metrical  Version  of  the  13th  Psalm  was 
published  in  a  work  by  Bale.  It  appears,  however,  that  Mr. 
Malone  had  a  copy  of  the  14th  Psalm  in  verse  by  Elizabeth. 
This  literary  rarity  occurs  at  the  end  of  a  book,  evidendy 
printed  abroad,  and  of  which  but  a  single  copy  is  known, 
entitled,  '  A  godly  medytacyon  of  the  Christen  sowle,'  etc., 
compyled  in  frenche,  by  Ladye  Margarete,  Quene  of  Naverre. 
The  following  is  printed  in  Parker's  edition  of  the  Royal  and 
Noble  Authors  of  Great  Britain. 

'  Fooles  that  true  fayth  yet  never  had 
Sayih  in  their  hartes,  there  is  no  God  ! 
Fylthy  they  are  in  their  praciy'se, 
Of  them  not  one  is  godly  wyse. 

*  Housman  on  The  Psal??is,  p.  23. 


PSALM  XIV.  67 

From  heaven  th'  Lorde  on  man  did  loke, 

To  know  v/hat  ways  he  undertoke  : 

All  they  were  vagne,  and  went  astraye, 

Not  one  he  founde  in  the  ryght  waye  ; 

In  harte  and  tunge  have  they  deceyte, 

The  lyppes  throwe  fourth  a  poysened  byte  ; 

Their  myndes  are  mad,  their  mouthes  are  wode, 

And  swift  they  be  in  shedynge  blode  : 

So  blynde  they  are,  no  truth  they  knowe, 

No  fear  of  God  in  them  wyll  growe. 

How  can  that  cruell  sort  be  good  ? 

Of  God's  dere  folcke  whych  sucke  the  blood  ! 

On  hym  ryghtly  shall  they  not  call  : 

Dys  payre  wyll  so  their  hartes  appall. 

At  all  tymes,'  God  is  with  the  just, 

Bycause  they  put  in  hym  their  trust, 

Who  shall  therefor  from  Syon  geue 

That  hehhe  whych  h:mgeth  on  oifr  bleve  ? 

When  God  shall  take  from  hys  the  smart 

Than  wyll  Jacob  rejoice  in  hart, 

Prayse  to  GoD.'* 

Verse  i.  The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart :  There  is  no  God. — 
Plato,  Archbishop  and  afterwards  Metropolitan  of  Moscow, 
was  the  man  of  whom  the  Austrian  Emperor  Joseph  II.,  on 
his  return  from  Petersburg  to  Vienna,  said,  in  answer  to  the 
question,  '  What  is  the  thing  the  best  worth  seeing  in  Russia  ^' 
'The  Metropolitan  Plato.'  He  is  best  known  to  Englishmen 
through  his  interviews  with  Dr.  Clarke,  and  with  Reginald 
Heber.  On  one  occasion  the  Empress  Catherine  sent  Diderot 
to  converse  with  him,  and  he  began  his  argument  with  '  Non 
est  Deus.'  Plato  was  ready  with  the  instant  retort  :  '  Dixit 
stultus  in  corde  suo,  "Non  est  I)eus.'"t 

Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge  illustrates  this  verse  : 

'  The  owlet,  Atheism, 
Sailing  on  obscene  win^s  across  the  noon. 
Drops  his  blue-fringed  lids,  and  shuts  them  close. 
And,  hootmg  at  the  glorious  sun  in  heaven, 
Cries  out,  "  Where  is  it  ?"  ' 

Verse  3.  The  Lord  looked  down  from  Heaven  upon  the 
children  of  7nen. — Milton  has  copied  the  figure  in  the  following 
passage  : 

*  Psaltnists  of  Britain,  Holland,  p.  145. 
+  Stanley's  Eastei'n  Chirch,  p.  410. 


68  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'Now  had  the  Almighty  Father  from  above, 
From  the  pure  empyrean,  where  He  sits 
High  throned  above  all  height,  bent  down  His  eye, 
His  own  works,  and  their  works  at  once  to  view. ' 

Paradise  Lost,  iii.* 

Verse  4.  There  is  nofie  that  doeth  good,  no^  not  one. — The 
rest  of  the  quotations  which  follow  the  above  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Romans  are  brought  together  by  the  Apostle  from  different 
parts  of  the  Old  Testament.  But  in  some  MSS.  of  the  LXX., 
in  the  Vulgate,  and  both  Arabic,  Syro-Arabic,  and  Copto- 
Arabic,  and  strangest  of  all  in  the  Syro-Hexapla,  they  are 
found  in  the  Psalm,  having  evidently  been  transferred  hither 
from  the  Epistle.  So  also  in  our  Prayer-Book  version,  which 
it  should  be  remembered  is  in  fact  Coverdale's  (1535),  and 
was  made,  not  from  the  original,  but  from  the  Latin  and 
German. t 

Verses  4  to  8.  They  are  all  gone  out  of  the  ivay,  they  are 
al together  become  abominable ;  there  is  no  fear  of  God  before 
their  eyes. 

'  All  is  oblique  ; 
There's  nothing  level  in  our  cursed  natures, 
But  direct  villainy.' 

Tiino7i  of  Athens^  Act  H.,  Sc.  i.+ 

A  Statement  painfully  strong,  and  yet  not  stronger,  nor  sa 
strong,  coming  from  a  heathen,  as  that  of  St.  Paul,  in  the 
third  chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  or  of  the  Psalmist 
whom  he  there  quotes. 

Verses  5,  6,  7.  The  places  from  which  St.  Jerome  and  the 
Yen.  Bede  say  St  Paul  borrowed  these  verses  are  the 
following  : 

Rom.  iii.  13.  'Their  mouth  is  an  open  sepulchre;  with 
their  tongues  they  have  used  deceit.'  Borrowed  from  Ps.  v.  10. 
'  The  poison  of  asps  is  under  their  lips.'     From  Ps.  cxl.  3. 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  37. 

t   77ie  Book  of  Psali/is,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  180. 

X  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  139. 


PSALM  XV.  69 

Verse  14.  'Whose  mouth  is  full  of  cursing  and  bitterness.' 
From  Ps.  x.  7. 

Verse  15.  'Their  feet  are  swift  to  shed  blood.'  From 
Prov.  i.  16  or  Isa.  lix.  7. 

Verses  16,  17,  18.  'Destruction  and  misery  are  in  their 
ways,  the  way  of  peace  they  have  not  known,  and  there  is  no 
fear  of  God  before  their  eyes.'     From  Isa.  lix.  7,  8.* 

Verse  11.  When  the  Lord  turneth  the  captivity  of  His  people  ; 
then  shall  Jacob  rejoice,  a?id  Israel  shall  be  glad. — Giles  Fletcher 
was  Vicar  of  Alderton  in  Suffolk  (he  died  in  1623),  and  the 
author  of  a  fine  poem,  'Christ's  Victory  and  Triumph  in 
Heaven  and  Earth,  over  and  after  Death,'  and  in  it  he  has 
the  following  beautiful  description  of  the  result  of  the  conclusion 
of  the  captivity  of  sin  and  death  :  . 

'  No  sorrow  now  hangs  clouding  on  their  brow  ; 

No  bloodless  maladv  impales  their  face  ; 
No  age  drops  on  their  hairs  his  silver  snow ; 

No  nakedness  their  bodies  doth  embase  ; 

No  poverty  themselves  and  theirs  disgrace  ; 
No  fear  of  death  the  joy  of  life  devours  ; 
No  unchaste  sleep  their  precious  tim^;  deflowers  ; 
No  loss,  no  grief,  no  change,  wait  on  their  winged  hours.' 

PSALM  XV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  conditions  of  access  to  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — We  will  call  the  Psalm,  the  Question 
and  Answer  (the  first  verse  asks  the  question ;  the  rest  of  the 
verses  answer  it). 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Perfect  repentance 
towards  God. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  commonly  supposed  to 
have  been  written  on  the  occasion  of  the  removal  of  the  Ark 
to  Zion,  and  the  consecration  of  the  Tabernacle  there,  2  Sam. 
*  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary^  vol.  iii.,  p.  1966. 


70  PSALM-MOSAICS 

vi.  T  2  to  14  (cf.  I  Chron.  xv.  16).  The  subject  of  this  Psahn^ 
and  the  occurrence  of  a  similar  question  and  answer  in  Psahii' 
xxiv.,  which  was  certainly  composed  for  that  occasion,  might 
indeed  dispose  us  to  adopt  this  view. 


/> 


^H  Church. — Proper  Psalm  for  Ascension  Day. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — In  the  Court  of  the  Archdeacon  of 
Middlesex  there  is  a  curious  instance  of  usury,  both  from  the 
fact  of  the  criminal  being  a  '  clerk  and  rector,'  and  on  account 
of  the  extraordinary  nature  of  his  defence.  It  may  be  quoted 
at  length  as  an  example  of  the  style  of  entries.     The  date  is. 

1578: 

'  Mark  Simpson,  clerk  and  rector  of  Pitsey.  Dominus 
ohiecit  guod  detectiwi  est  officio  that  he  is  a  usurer.  Dictus 
Simpson /^j-i-z/i-  est  that  he  lent  owte  a  little  money,  and  had  \\s. 
of  the  pound,  after  the  rate  of  tenne  in  the  hundred  ;  but  he 
did  not  urge  the  same,  but  onely  the  parties  themselves  whome 
he  lent  his  money  to  did  of  theire  owne  good  will  give  him 
after  the  said  rate,  but  not  by  compulcion  he  did  urge  the 
same.' 

This  excuse,  however,  was  not  accepted.  He  was  ordered 
to  acknowledge  his  fault  publicly  in  Church,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  read  the  i^th  Fsaljn^  for  the  sake  of  the  condemnation 
of  usury  which  it  contains.^ 

Verse  3.  He  that  hath  used  no  deceit  in  his  tongue^  nor  done 
evil  to  his  neighbour. — St.  Augustine,  as  Posidonius  tells  us, 
had  written  over  the  table  at  which  he  entertained  his  friends 
these  two  verses  : 

'  Quisquis  amat  clictis  absentum  rodere  vitam, 
Hanc  mensam  vetitam  noverit  esse  sibi.' 

*  He  that  is  wont  to  slander  absent  men, 
May  never  at  this  table  sit  again. 'f 

Verse    4.   He   that  sweareih    unto    his   neighbour^    and    dis- 

*   Gjiardian,  ]\xne.  16,  18S6. 

f  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  199. 


PSALM  XVI.  71 

appointeth   him   not:  though  it  were  to  his  own  hindrance,— 
Shakespeare  says  : 

'  His  words  are  bonds,  his  oaths  a-  e  oracle^ : 
His  love  sincere,  his  thoughts  immaculate  ; 
His  tears  pure  messengers,  sent  from  his  heart  ;    ^ 
His  heart  as  far  from  fraud  as  heaven  from  earth. 


PSALM  XVI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Refuge  in  God,  the  Highest  Good,  in 
the  presence  of  distress  and  of  Death. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— The  Psahii  of  the  Precious  Secret. 
Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David-The  election  of  the 
Church  and  the  resurrection  of  the  Messiah. 

Origin  (Perowne).— It  is  possible,  however  (Mr.  Perowne 
says  after  giving  two  special  occasions  on  which  this  Psalm 
might  have  been  written),  that  the  contrast  here  brought  out  so 
strongly  between  the  happiness  to  be  found  in  the  love  of 
God,  and  the  infatuation  and  misery  of  those  who  had  taken 
some  other  to  be  the  object  of  their  worship,  may  have  been 
suggested  by  the  very  position  in  which  an  Israelite  dwelling 
in)he  land  would  be  placed  with  reference  to  surrounding 
nations. 

In  Church.— This  Psalm  is  one  of  those  appointed  in  the 
Roman  office  for  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick. 

On  account  of  verses  10  and  11,  'Wherefore  my  heart 
was  glad,  and  my  glory  rejoiced  :  my  flesh  also  shall  rest 
in  hope.  For  why?  Thou  shalt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell: 
neither  shalt  Thou  suffer  Thy  Holy  One  to  see  corruption.' 
This  Psalm  and  the  foregoing,  to  which  it  is  a  sequel,  are 
appointed  in  the  Roman  Church  for  mt  on  Sabbatum  Sanctum, 
or  Easter  Even,  when  she  meditates  on  the  Rest  of  Christ, 
Who  is  the  true  Sabbath,  in  the  Grave,  and  of  the  Rest  which 
is  in  store  for  all  who  fall  asleep  in  Him  :  '  Blessed  are  the 


72  PSALM.MOSAICS 

dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  ;  for  they  rest  from  their  labours ' 
(Rev.  xiv.  13).* 

The  Whole  Psalui. — It  seems  at  first  sight  strange  that  this 
is  not  one  of  the  proper  Psahiis  for  Easter  Day.  The  reason, 
however,  is  this  :  In  the  first  Enghsh  Prayer-Book  it  was  re- 
served as  the  most  appropriate  Psalm  of  all,  to  be  used  as  the 
Introit  before  the  Communion  Service,  while  the  other  proper 
Psalms  were  arranged  as  at  present.  At  the  next  revision  of 
the  Prayer-Book,  in  1552,  all  mention  of  the  Introit  was 
omitted,  but  no  change  was  made  in  the  proper  Psalms. 
Hence  the  use  of  Psalm  xvi.  most  unfortunately  dropped  out 
altogether.  In  the  same  way  we  have  lost  the  use  of  Psalms 
viii.,  xcviii.,  on  Christmas  Day,  and  of  xxxiii.  on  Whitsun  Day.t 

Clement  Mar  of  s  Versioji  of  this  Psalm.  —  There  was  a 
great  meeting-house,  called  the  Patriarchate,  close  to  the 
Church  of  St.  Medard.  Here,  on  St.  John's  Day,  1561, 
1,200  people  were  assembled  to  hear  a  sermon,  when  they 
were  interrupted  by  the  Church  bells  ringing  for  vespers, 
and  some  persons  among  the  congregation  went  out  and  re- 
quested that  they  might  be  stopped.  This  was,  of  course,  re- 
sented as  a  great  act  of  insolence,  and  the  man  was  beaten, 
pelted,  and  killed.  The  alarm  was  given,  and  the  guard  of  sixty 
archers,  who  had  a  sort  of  authority  to  protect  the  Huguenots, 
rushed  upon  the  Church,  followed  by  the  men  of  the  congre- 
gation who  sat  on  benches  outside  those  for  the  women. 
These  Beza  (Theodore  de  Beze,  Professor  of  Theology,  rector 
of  the  College  and  pastor  at  Geneva)  kept  quiet  by  setting  them 
to  sing  Clement  Marofs  version  of  the  16th  Psalm  ;  but  in  the 
meantime  there  was  a  great  uproar  in  the  Church,  where  the 
priests  were  driven  to  take  refuge  in  the  tower,  while  the  rabble 
joined  the  Huguenots,  beat  and  wounded  the  Catholics,  and 
plundered  and  outraged  all  that  was  sacred  in  the  Church.  The 
archers  ended  by  dragging    off   fifty-six  Catholics  to   prison, 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Coi/i;ne7ita}y,  p.  20. 
t  MoJithly  Packet,  July,  1S83. 


PSALM  XVI.  73 

among  whom  were  ten  priests,  after  which  the  men  came  back 
to  Church,  and  the  sermon  was  quietly  finished."^ 

Verse  6.  The  Lord  Himself  is  tJie  portion  of  mine  inJieritimce^ 
and  of  my  cup ;  TJiou  shalt  maintaiti  my  lot. — There  are 
curious  inscriptions  in  many  houses  in  Edinburgh.  A  building 
in-the  High  Street,  of  the  period  of  James  VL,  has  an  inscrip- 
tion with  a  hand  pointing,  as  if  giving  emphasis  to  it :  '  TJie 
Lord  is  the  portion  of  mine  inheritance^  and  my  cup  ;  Thou  main- 
tainest  my  lot'  (Psalm  xvi.,  verse  5) — this  printed  in  Roman 
letters.  Sometimes  these  inscriptions  are  placed  on  ceilings, 
sometimes  over  fireplaces,  and  an  interesting  volume  might  be 
written  on  them.t 

M.  de  Boisy^  the  father  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales,  who  was  full 
of  plans  and  great  designs  for  his  son,  took  him  to  visit 
Signeur  de  Vegy,  whose  only  daughter  and  heiress  he  wished 
to  become  Francis'  wife.  Courteous  and  graceful  de  Villeroget 
was  as  ever,  but  when  his  father  complained  that  he  was  cold 
and  restrained  with  the  lady,  he  could  not  refrain  from  de- 
claring that  Uhe  Lord  LLimself  is  the  portion  of  mine  inheritance^' 
and  that  he  could  not  involve  himself  in  secular  ties.:|: 

Verse  7.  '  Lcetus  sorte  mea '  is  the  motto  of  that  most  beauti- 
ful and  touching  'Story  of  a  Short  Life,"  by  Mrs.  Ewing. 

Verse  9.  /  have  set  God  always  before  me. — This  verse  is 
wonderfully  illustrated  in  the  life  of  one  Nicholas  Herman,  of 
Lorraine,  a  mean  and  unlearned  man,  who,  after  having  been 
a  soldier  and  a  footman,  was  admitted  a  Lay  Brother  among 
the  barefooted  Carmelites  at  Paris,  in  1666.  He  is  known  to 
all  those  who  love  the  interior  life  as  Brother  Laurence,  and 
we  learn  of  him  in  a  little  book  called  'The  Practice  of  the 
Presence  of  God,  the  Best  Rule  of  a  Holy  Life.'  At  all  times 
he  lived  in  the  habitual  sense  of  God's  Presence,  so  that 
whether  at  menial   work   or   at   his  turn   in    prayer,   he    con- 

*   Cameos  from  English  History. 

t  Scottish  Characteristics,  by  Paxton  Hood,  p.  220. 

+  S.  Fi'ancis  de  Sales,  p.  31. 


74  PSALM-MOSAICS 

sciously  enjoj'ed  that  Presence.  '  It  is  not  necessary  for 
being  with  God  to  be  always  in  Church  ;  we  may  make  an 
oratory  of  our  heart,  wherein  to  retire  from  time  to  time,  to 
converse  with  Him  in  meekness,  humihty  and  love.'  And  in 
another  place :  '  We  cannot  escape  the  dangers  which  abound 
in  life,  without  the  actual  and  cojitinual  help  of  God  ;  let 
us  then  pray  to  Him  for  it  cofitiniially.  How  can  we  pray  to 
Him  without  being  with  Him  ?  How  can  we  be  with  Him  but 
in  thinking  of  Him  often  ?  And  how  can  we  often  think  of 
Him,  but  by  a  holy  habit  which  we  should  form  of  it  ?  You 
will  tell  me  that  I  am  always  saying  the  same  thing  ;  it  is  true, 
for  this  is  the  best  and  easiest  method  I  know;  and  as  I  use 
no  other,  I  advise  all  the  world  to  it.  We  must  knoiv  before 
we  can  love.  In  order  to  knoiv  God,  we  must  often  thiJik  of 
Him ;  and  when  we  come  to  love  Him,  we  shall  then  also  think 
of  Him  often,  for  our  hea?'t  will  be  with  our  treasitre.  This  is 
an  argument  which  well  deserves  your  consideration.' 

Verses  9-12,  I  have  set  God  always  before  me  :  for  He  is  on 
my  right  hand,  therefore  I  shall  not  fall. 

Wherefore  my  heart  zvas  glad,  and  my  glory  rejoiced ;  my  flesh 
also  shall  rest  in  hope. 

For  7i'hy  ?  Thou  shall  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell,  neither  shall 
Thou  sufer  Thy  Holy  One  to  see  corruption. 

Thou  shall  show  me  the  path  of  life  ;  in  Thy  presence  is  the 
fubiess  of  joy,  and  at  Thy  right  Ha?id  there  is  pleasure  for  ever- 
more. 

This  passage  is  quoted  by  St.  Peier,  in  his  Pentecostal 
Sermon,  as  directly,  or  in  its  highest  sense,  applicable  to  the 
Messiah.  It  contains  one  of  the  very  clearest  and  strongest 
declarations  of  belief  in  a  blessed  futurity  which  can  be  ad- 
duced from  the  Old  Testament."^ 

Verse  11.  Thou  shall  7iot  leave  my  soul  in  hell ;  tieither  shall 
Thou  suffer  Thy  Holy  One  to  see  corruption. — Milton  has  thus 
imitated  this  beautiful  passage,  in  a  speech  of  the  Son  of  God  : 

*    The  Speaker  s  Cojuijientary,  p.  201. 


PSALM  XVII.  75 

'Though  now  to  death  I  yield,  and  am  his  due 
All  that  of  me  cati  die  ;  yet,  that  debt  paid, 
Thou  wilt  not  leave  me  in  the  loathsome  grave 
His  prey,  nor  suffer  my  unspotted  soul 
For  ever  with  corruption  there  to  dwell  ; 
But  I  shall  rise  victorious.' 

Paradise  Lost,  iii.* 


PSALM  XVII. 

Beading  (Delitzsch). — Flight  of  an  innocent  and  persecuted 
man  for  refuge  in  the  Lord,  who  knoweth  them  that  are  His. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — We  have  in  the  present  plaintive  song, 
An  Appeal  to  Heaven  from  the  persecutions  of  the  earth. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Written  by  David — A  Prayer. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psahii  may  be,  as  the  inscription 
states,  a  Psalm  of  David ;  and  if  so,  we  may  probably  attribute 
its  composition  to  the  time  of  Saul's  persecution. 

Ill  CJuirch. — This  Psalm  is  the  first  of  the  Eastern  Office  of 
the  3rd  hour. 

Verse  i.  Hear  the  ri\;ht,  O  Lord,  consider  my  complai7it. — -I 
have  read  somewhere  of  an  incident  of  Charles  Wesley,  that 
when  he  was  most  unjustly  charged  with  some  offence,  and  a 
heavy  fine  imposed  upon  him,  he  meekly  submitted  to  the 
wrong;  and  after  his  death  the  warrant  was  found  among  his 
papers  with  the  simple  endorsement,  '  To  be  re-judged  at  the 
last  day.'t 

Pseiido-Dionysius  has  a  very  beautiful  idea  regarding  the 
efficacy  of  prayer, — the  case  is  as  if  we,  standing  on  board 
a  vessel,  and  holding  in  our  hands  a  rope  fastened  to  the  shore, 
were  to  pull  lustily  at  it.  While  endeavouring,  as  it  were,  to 
bring  the  shore  to  ourselves,  we  should  indeed  be  bringing  our- 
selves to  it.     And  thus  in  prayer,  while  we  seek  in  appearance 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  42. 

f  Daily  Commeitts  on  the  Psalms,  by  Barton  Bouchier,  vol.  i.,  p.  94. 


76  PSALM 'MOSAICS 

to  bend  God's  will  to  us,  we  are  indeed  Ijringing  our  will  to  His. 
Here  Christ  prays,  not  for  Himself  alone,  but  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  all :  and  the  right  which  is  to  be  heard  is  that  righteous- 
ness which  He  offers  for  us,  that  full  and  complete  sacrifice 
which  He  presents  for  our  sins.* 

Verse  4.  /  have  kept  me  from  the  luays  of  the  destroyer.  —  / 
have  kept  hard  ways.  This  is  the  Antiphon  which  the  Church 
takes  as  the  ordinary  interpretation  of  the  Psalm.  And  well 
it  may  be;  for  what  is  the  whole  of  the  Christian  course  but 
a  succession  of  hard  paths — the  straight  gate  and  the  narrow 
way  w^hich  the  martyrs  and  the  confessors  trod,  and  which  they 
trod  for  the  same  reason,  namely,  love?  Lorinus  beautifully 
applies  those  words   of  the  heathen  poet  (Plautus,  Casina  ii. 

3.  5)- 

'  Nam  ubi  amor  condimentum  inerit,  cuivis  jolaciturum  credo, 
Neque  salsum  nequc  suave  esse  potest  (juicquam,  ubi  amor  non  admis- 

cetur. 
Fel   quod   amarum   est,   id   mel   faciet  :    hominem   ex   tristi   lepidum   et 
lenem.' 

'  Where  Love  as  seasoning  is  found,  all  .will,  I  trow,  fain  share, 
Nought  can  be  salt  or  pleasant  food  if  Love  be  mixed  not  there, 
Honey  it  makes  of  bitter  gall,  the  sullen  man  bonair.'f 

Verse  %.  Keep  me  as  the  apple  of  an  eye. — Anastasius  IV. 
found  so  great  consolation  in  this  expression  that  Custodi  me 
lit  pupillum  oculi  was  his  motto. t 

As  the  apple  of  an  eye.  This  figure  would  seem  to  be  bor- 
rowed from,  or  at  least  suggested  by,  Deut.  xxxii.  10:  'He 
kept  him  as  the  apple  of  His  eye'  (see  also  Zech.  ii.  8).  The 
word  translated  'apple '  signifies  in  the  Hebrew  'a  little  man'; 
and  in  the  LXX.  '  a  litde  girl,'  or  '  daughter,'  because  a  small 
image  is  seen  in  the  pupil  of  the  eye.  Both  words  are  expres- 
sive of  tenderness  and  endearment.  '  Pupil,'  as  derived  from 
piipilla,  'a  little  girl,'  is  the  correct  English  analogue  of  the 
Hebrew   and   Greek  words,   and   should   have    been    adopted 

*   Dr.  Neale's  Coininentaiy,  vol.  i.,  p.  216. 
t  Ihid.,  p.  218. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  220. 


PSALM  XVII. 


77 


instead  of  '  apple.'     The  sentiment  of  tenderness  which  cHngs 
to  the  original  would  then  have  been  preserved."^ 

Ferse  12.  Zi'ke  as  a  lion  that  is  greedy  of  Ids  prey. — In 
*  Paradise  Lost'  we  have  a  fine  poetical  conception  of  the  arch- 
enemy prowling  around  our  nrst  parents  when  he  first  beheld 
their  happiness,  and  resolved  to  ruin  them  : 

'  About  them  round 

A  lion  now,  he  stalks  with  fiery  glare  ; 
Then,  as  a  tiger,  who  by  chance  hath  spied 
In  some  purlieu,  two  gentle  fawns  at  play, 
Straight  couches  close,  then  rising,  changes  oft 
His  couchant  watch,  as  one  who  chose  his  ground, 
\Yhence  rushing  he  might  surest  seize  them  both, 
Grip'd  in  each  paw.'f 

Verse  14.  From  the  7/1  en  of  Thy  hand.,  O  Lord,  from  the  men^ 
I  say.,  and  from  the  evil  woi'ld. — S.  Albert  Magnus  explains 
these  words  of  evil  Bishops,  who  are  set  apart  by  rank  and 
wealth  from  the  lowly  and  obscure,  who  heap  up  riches  and  are 
guilty  of  nepotism.! 

Verse  15.  They  have  children  at  their  desire. — The  Italic 
version  reads  here  very  singularly,  They  are  filled  with  swine's 
flesh.,  given  up  as  they  are  to  every  uncleanness  and  error  for- 
bidden by  the  Law,  and  leaving  all  their  evil  ways  as  a  legacy 
to  their  posterity.  This  curious  version  arises  from  a  variant  in 
Origen's  '  Hexapla,'  now  the  common  reading  of  the  LXX., 
though  doubtless  the  error  of  a  transcriber,  hii(,w  instead  of  wa)i/.§ 

Verse  16.  But  as  for  me.,  I  will  behold  Thy  Presence  iii 
righteousness ;  and  when  I  aiuake  up  after  Thy  likeness.,  I 
shall  be  satisfied  with  it. — The  windows  in  Lambeth  Palace 
had  been  filled  with  stained  glass  by  Cardinal  Morton,  but  had 
been  broken  during  the  troubled  times  of  the  Reformation,  so 
that  Archbishop  Laud  found  them,  to  use  his  own  words : 
'  Shameful   to   look   upon,    all    diversely   patch,    like   a   poor 

*  A  Companion  to  the  Psalter,  p.  36. 
t  The  Treastny  of  David,  vol.  1.,  p.  254. 
X  Neale's  Commentary,  p.  223. 
§  Ibid.,  p.  224. 


78  PSALM-MOSAICS 

beggar's  coat.'  He  carefully  restored  them,  but  the  storm  of 
popular  violence  rose  again  until  no  trace  of  their  beauty  was 
left.  For  two  centuries  they  remained,  restored  indeed  to 
decency,  but  with  all  their  loveliness  destroyed.  In  the  work 
of  restoration,  therefore,  the  replacing  of  the  stained  glass  was 
one  of  the  first  objects  in  view,  and  happily  the  means  of  doing 
this  were  accessible.  It  was  known  that  the  broken  windows 
had  been  copied  from  pictures  in  the  '  Biblia  Pauperum,'  and 
to  these  accordingly  Messrs.  Clayton  and  Bell  addressed  them- 
selves. In  each  case  the  two  side-lights  contain  representa- 
tions of  types,  of  which  the  Antitype  is  the  centre.  One  of 
these  windows  was  restored  in  memory  of  Craufurd  Tait,  and 
underneath  the  window  was  placed  this  inscription  : 

'  In  jSIemory  of  the 

REV.  CRAUFURD  TAIT,  M.A., 

only  son  of 

Archibald  Campbell,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 

and  of  Catherine  Tait. 

Simple,  pure,  manly,  energetic,  kindly,  because  in  all  things 
truly  Christian,  he  won  the  hearts  of  young  and  old,  rich  and 
poor.  He  was  loved  and  respected  at  Eton  and  at  Christ 
Church,  and  in  his  Curacy  at  Saltwood,  in  his  visit  to  the  East 
and  to  the  United  States  of  America,  and  here,  as  his  father's 
Chaplain. 

'  Faithful  during  his  brief  earthly  ministry,  he  was  gently  sum- 
moned from  his  home  below,  with  all  its  duties,  enjoyments, 
and  hopes,  to  his  real  home  in  the  immediate  presence  of 
Christ.  Many  friends  of  all  degrees  and  ranks  have  united  in 
dedicating  this  window  as  a  memorial  of  love. 

'  Born  at  Rugby,  spared  in  the  fever  which  desolated  his 
father's  home  at  Carlisle  in  his  childhood,  he  died  at  Stone 
House,  Thanet,  in  the  twenty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  on  the  eve 
of  the  Lord's  Ascension,  May  29th,  1878. 

'  ^'-  As  for  me^  1  will  behold  Thy  presence  in  righteousness,  and 
when  I  awake  up  after  Thy  likeness^  T  shall  be  satisfied  with  it.'' 
— Psalm  xvii.  i6.''^ 

*   Catherine  and  Cratifiird  7 ait,  p.  606. 


PSALM  XVII.  79 

/idius  Ilareh^d.  a  great  affection  for  the  17th  Psalm,  and 
it  was  read  to  him  on  his  death-bed.  Just  before  he  died  he 
thanked  those  who  had  thus  chosen  the  words  of  Scripture 
which  he  so  especially  delighted  in.  AVith  these  sounds  of 
glory  ringing  in  his  ears, 

'  /  will  behold  Thy  presence  in  righteousness^ 
And  when  I  awake  up  after  Thy  likeness^ 
I  shall  be  satisfied  with  it' 

he  fell  into  that  sleep  from  which  he  was  to  awake  in  the  like- 
ness of  Christ.* 

Henri  Ferreyve  had  this  verse  on  his  lips  during  his  last 
moments.  His  father,  mother,  and  sister  knelt  by  his  bedside, 
and  he  blessed  them  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  Whose  priest 
he  was.  A  Httle  later  he  thanked  the  sister  who  had  nursed  him 
so  tenderly  :  '  A  thousand  thanks  to  you,  ma  Sceur  ;  let  me  have 
your  Crucifix,  not  mine — yours,  which  has  been  pressed  to  so 
many  dying  lips  ;'  and  he  kissed  it  lovingly,  saying,  'Amen.' 

He  asked  to  see  the  servants ;  thanked  them  for  all  they  had 
done  for  him  ;  commended  himself  to  their  prayers,  and  gave 
them  his  blessing.  Dr.  Gourand  came,  and  Henri  thanked 
him  gratefully  for  his  devoted  friendship,  and  his  attempts. 
during  these  last  days,  to  prolong  his  life,  adding,  quietly  and 
kindly,  that  it  was  useless  to  give  him  any  further  trouble.  His 
mother  was  beside  him,  and  he  observed  to  her,  '  If  I  die  to- 
morrow, it  will  be  the  anniversary  of  my  first  Communion.' 
'  Dear  child,'  she  answered,  weeping,  'how  happy  was  I  on  that 
day,  and  you  too  !'  'Well,'  Henri  replied,  'we  must  be  happy 
to-morrow  too.' 

He  made  his  sister  stay  by  him  while  he  detailed  certain 
alterations  he  wished  to  be  made  in  the  family  tomb,  and  with 
a  clear  firm  voice  told  her  what  was  to  be  his  epitaph :  '  Satiabor 
cum  apparuerit  Gloria  Tua ' — '  When  I  awake  up  after  Thy 
likefiess,  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  it.'f 

*  TAe  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Ch)-{stianity,  p.  278. 
+  Henri  Perreyve^  p.  231. 


8o  PSALM-MOSAICS 

I  shall  be  satisfied  with  if. — I  have  read  of  a  devout  person 
who  but  dreaming  of  heaven,  the  signatures  and  impressions  it 
made  upon  his  fancy  were  so  strong  as  that  when  he  awaked  he 
knew  not  his  cell,  could  not  distinguish  the  night  from  the  day, 
nor  difference  by  his  taste,  oil  from  wine ;  still  he  was  calling 
for  his  vision  and  saying,  Redde  mihi  ca??ipos,  floridos.,  colu7?inan 
aiireavi,  comiteni  Hieronymuni.,  assiste?ites  a?igeIos  :  Give  me  my 
fresh  and  fragrant  fields  again,  my  golden  pillar  of  light,  Jerome 
my  companion,  angels  my  assistants.  If  heaven  in  a  dream 
produce  such  ecstasies  as  drown  and  overwhelm  the  exercises 
of  the  senses  to  inferior  objects,  what  trances  and  compla- 
cencies must  the  fruition  of  it  work  in  those  who  have  their 
whole  rational  appetite  filled,  and  their  body  beautified  with 
its  endless  glory  !* 

Whe?i  I  awake  up  after  Thy  likeness^  I  shall  be  satisfied  with 
zV.— 'But  when,' says  St.  Bonaventura,  'O  Lord  Jesu,  when 
shall  that  when  be  ?' 

'Jesus  only  !     In  the  shadow 

Of  the  cloud  so  dull  and  dim 
We  are  clinging,  loving,  trusting, 
He  with  us  and  we  with  Him  ; 
All  unseen,  though  ever  nigh, 
Jesus  only  !  all  our  cry. 

'Jesus  only  !     In  the  glory, 

When  the  shadows  all  are  flown, 
Seeing  Him  in  all  His  beauty. 
Satisfied  with  Him  alone  ; 
May  we  join  His  ransomed  throng, 
Jesus  only  !  all  our  song.' 

F.  R.  Havergal. 

The  illustrations  on  this  verse  cannot  be  better  ended  than, 
by  the  beautiful  verses  of  St.  Bernard  of  Cluny : 

*0  bona  patria,  num  tua  gaudia  teque  videbo? 
O  bona  patria,  num  tua  prcemia  plena  tenebo  ? 
Die  mihi,  flagito,  verbaque  reddito,  dicque,  Videbis. 
Spem  solidam  gero  :  remne  tegens  ero?     Die,  Retinebis. 
O  sacer,  O  pius,  O  ter  et  amplius  ille  beatus, 
Cui  sua  pars  Deus :  O  miser,  O  reus,  hac  viduatus  !' 

*  William  Spurstow,  1656,  quoted  in  The  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  i.,. 
p.  260. 


PSALM  XV III.  8i 

O  sweet  and  blessed  country, 
Shall  I  ever  see  thy  face  ? 

0  sweet  and  blessed  country, 
Shall  I  ever  win  thy  grace? 

1  have  the  hope  within  me, 

To  comfort  and  to  bless, 
Shall  I  ever  win  the  prize  itself? 

O  tell  me,  tell  me,  Yes. 
O  holy  one,  O  godly. 

Thrice  blessed  is  his  lot, 
Who  hath  his  God  for  portion, 

O  wretched,  who  hath  not  !* 


PSALM  XVIII. 


Heading  (Delitzsch). — David's  Hymnic  Retrospect  of  a  life 
crowned  with  many  mercies. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Grateful  Retrospect. 

Contetits  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — A  thanksgiving ;  also 
concerning  the  ascension  of  the  Messiah. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — The  inscription,  which  informs  us  that 
this  hymn  was  composed  towards  the  close  of  David's  life,  is 
confirmed  by  the  fact  that  we  have  the  same  account  given  of 
its  composition  in  2  Samuel  xxii.,  where  this  hymn  is  also 
found,  though  with  a  number  of  variations.  The  internal  evi- 
dence, too,  points  in  the  same  direction  ;  for  we  learn  from 
verse  34  (35)  and  43  (44)  that  the  Poet  is  both  warrior  and 
king ;  and  every  part  of  the  description  suits  the  events  and 
circumstances  of  David's  life  better  than  those  of  any  other 
monarch. 

Verse  i .  /  ivill  love  Thee,  O  Lord,  viy  strength  ;  the  Lord  is 
my  'stony  rock,  and  my  defence. — In  the  Orthodox  Eastern 
Church,  in  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Chrysostom,  just  before  the 
Nicene  Creed,  the  Priest  says  secretly  (Psalm  xviii.  i),  ' L  wilt 
love  Thee,  O  Lord,  my  strength  ;  the  Lord  is  my  stony  rock,  and 
my  defence. ^\ 

*  Quoted  in  Dr.  Neale's  Co7nmentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  225. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  iv,,  p.  269. 

6 


82  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  9.  He  bowed  the  heavens  also^  a?id  came  down. — The 
male  figure  raising  a  veil  above  his  head,  who  is  often  placed 
beneath  the  Lord's  feet  on  the  sarcophagi,  is  taken  to  repre- 
sent Uranus  or  the  Firmament.  The  idea  seems  to  be  that  of 
(Psalms  xviii.  9  and  civ.  2)  darkness  under  His  feet,  and  the 
Heavens  as  a  curtain.* 

Verse  10.  He  rode  upon  the  chericbinis,  afid  did  fly  ;  He  came 
flyifig  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind  {cf.  also  Psalms  Ixviii.  4 ; 
civ.  3). — The  expressions  in  these  verses  find  their  likenesses  in 
Shakespeare,  yet  so  softened  and  disguised  that  no  comparison 
which  might  suggest  thoughts  of  irreverence  is  provoked  by 
the  imitation. 

It  is  Romeo  who  thus,  from  Capulet's  garden,  addresses 
Juliet  at  her  window  : 

'  O  !  speak  again,  bright  angel,  for  thou  art 
As  glorious  to  this  night,  being  o'er  my  head, 
As  is  a  winged  messenger  of  Heaven 
Unto  the  white  upturned  wondering  eyes 
Of  mortals,  that  fall  back  to  gaze  on  him. 
When  he  bestrides  (he  lazy-pacing  clouds, 
And  sails  tipon  the  bosom  of  the  air.'' 

Act  II.,  Sc.  ii.t 

Milton  felt  the  grandeur  of  this  imagery,  and  imitated  it : 

'  He  on  the  wings  of  cherub  rode  sublime 
On  the  crystalline  sky.' 

Paradise  Lost,  vi. 

And  again  : 

'  on  the  wings  of  cherubim 
Uplifted,  in  paternal  glory  rode 
Far  into  chaos.' 

Paradise  Lost,  \\\.% 

Sternhold  and  Hopkins  have  succeeded  in  their  version  of 
this  place,  not  only  beyond  what  they  ever  did,  but  beyond 
every  ancient  and  modern  poet  on  a  similar  subject : 

*   The  Basilica^  by  Rev.  R.  S.  John  Tyrwhitt.     Monthly  Packet,  July, 
1880. 
t  Shakespea7'e  and  the  Bible,  p.  325. 
+   Ike  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  51. 


PSALM  XVIII .  83 

'  On  cherub  and  on  cherubim 
Full  royally  He  rode, 
And  on  the  wings  of  mighty  wind 
Came  flying  all  abroad.'* 

Verse  1 1.  He  made  darkness  His  secret  place.  His  pavilion 
roufid  about  Him  with  dark  7aater,  and  thick  clouds  to  cover 
Him. — The  discharge  of  the  celestial  artillery  upon  the  adverse 
powers,  in  this  and  the  two  following  verses,  is  magnificently 
described.  Milton  has  made  a  noble  use  of  the  same  imagery, 
in  tne  following  passage  : 

'  How  oft  amidst 
Thick  clouds  and  dark  doth  heaven's  all-ruling  Sire 
Choose  to  reside,  his  glory  unobscured, 
And  with  the  majesty  of  darkness  round 
Covers  His  throne  ;  from  whence  deep  thunders  roar, 
Mustering  their  rage,  and  heaven  resembles  hell  ?' 

Paradise  I.os/,  ii.+ 

Verse  36.  My  footsteps  shall  not  slide. 
Longfellow  : 

'  Footprints  which  perhaps  some  other, 
Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main, 
Some  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother 
Seeing,  may  take  heart  again.' 

Verses  37,  38.  I  will  follow  upon  mijie  enemies,  and  overtake 
■them  ;  neither  will  I  turn  again  till  I  have  destroyed  them. 
I  will  smite  them,  that  they  shall  not  be  able  to  sta?id,  but  fall 
under  my  feet. 

William  Cowper  (i 731-1800) : 

'  Oh,  I  have  seen  the  day, 

When  with  a  single  word, 
God  helping  me  to  say, 

"My  trust  is  in  the  Lord  ;" 
My  soul  has  quelled  a  thousand  foes, 
Fearless  of  all  that  could  oppose.' 

Verses  40,  41. — Thou  hast  made  mine  enemies  also  to  turn 
■  their  backs  upon  me  ;  and  I  will  destroy  them  that  hate  me. 
They  shall  cry,  but  there  shall  be  more  to  help  them  ;  yea,  even 

*  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  1984. 
t  The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  53. 


84  PSALM. MOSAICS 

unto  the  Lord  shall  they  cry,  but  He  shall  not  hear  them. — 
Clovis,  when  about  to  lead  his  army  against  Alaric  II.,  the 
Arian  king  of  the  Visigoths,  sent  messengers  to  the  Church  of 
St.  Martin,  at  Tours,  where  the  Psalms  were  sung  day  and 
night,  to  know  what  verses  would  be  chanted  as  they  entered, 
as  he  had  asked  God  to  give  him  a  sign.  As  they  passed  the 
threshold  the  Precentor  sang  Psalm  xviii.  39,  40,  as  an 
Antiphon,  and  accepting  this  as  the  token,  they  offered  the 
gifts  they  bore,  made  their  thanksgiving,  and  returned  to 
Clovis,  who  afterwards  defeated  and  slew  Alaric  in  the  battle 
of  Vougle."^ 

Verse  ^i.~Gerhohus,  like  an  earnest  reformer  that  he  was, 
in  an  age  of  the  Church  which  abounded  with  horrible  corrup- 
tions, and  when,  as  it  has  been  said,  the  Lord  seemed  again 
asleep  in  the  bark  of  Peter,  twists  this  text  by  main  force,  to 
bear  w^itness  against  the  simony  of  the  age ;  when,  as  he  says, 
princes  and  other  potentates  chose  Barabbas,  and  rejected 
Jesus  for  the  Episcopate ;  and  then,  w^hen  they  had  elected 
the  former,  and  wxre  in  need  of  some  spiritual  assistance, 
C7'ied,  and  there  7i'as  none  to  help  them.  One  can  hardly  call 
this  a  commentary  ;  but  yet  one  honours  the  zeal  of  the  writer, 
w^ho,  in  whatever  part  of  the  Scripture  he  was  expounding,, 
saw  the  abuses  of  the  Church  in  his  own  time,  and  so  treated 
it.t 

Verse  18.  They  prevented  me  in  the  day  of  my  trouble ;  but 
the  Lord  was  my  upholder. — Here  is  an  instance  of  the  im- 
pudence of  Protestant  prejudice — the  words  are  the  words 
of  one  Charles  Bradbury:  'When  Henry  VIII.  had  spoken 
and  written  bitterly  against  Luther ;  saith  Luther,  Tell  the 
Henries,  the  bishops,  the  Turks,  and  the  devil  himself,  do 
what  they  can,  we  are  the  children  of  the  kingdom,  wor- 
shipping of  the  true  God,  whom  they,  and  such  as  they,  spit 
upon  and  crucified.  And  of  the  same  spirit  were  many 
martyrs.     Basil  affirms  of  the  primitive  saints,  that  they  had 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  251. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  252,  note. 


PSALM  XIX.  85 

so  much  courage  and  confidence  in  their  sufferings,  that  many 
of  the  heathens  seeing  their  heroic  zeal  and  constancy,  turned 
Christians.'"^ 

PSALM  XIX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  to  God,  whose  revelation  of 
Himself  is  twofold. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Deliverance  of  the 
people  from  Egypt. 

Origin  (Perowne). — It  may  have  been  written,  perhaps,  in 
the  first  flush  of  an  Eastern  sunrise,  when  the  sun  was  seen 
'  going  forth  as  a  bridegroom  out  of  his  chamber  and  rejoicing 
as  a  mighty  man  to  run  his  course.'  The  song  breathes  all 
the  life  and  freshness,  all  the  gladness  and  glory  of  the 
morning.  .  .  .  The  difference  of  style  observable  between  the 
two  parts  of  the  Psalm,  and  the  abruptness  of  the  transition 
from  one  part  to  the  other,  have  led  some  critics  to  the  con. 
elusion,  that  these  did  not  originally  constitute  one  Poem. 
Thus  Ewald  speaks  of  the  former  half  as  a  beautiful  torso — a 
splendid  but  unfinished  fragment  of  the  time  of  David,  to 
which  some  later  bard  subjoined  the  praise  of  the  Law.  But 
it  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  adopt  such  a  supposition.  No 
doubt  there  is  a  very  considerable  difference  between  the 
sustained  lyric  movement  of  verses  i  to  6,  and  the  regular 
didactic  rhythm  of  the  latter  half  of  the  Psalm.  But  it  may 
fairly  be  argued  that  the  nature  of  the  subject  influenced  the 
change  of  style.  The  apparent  suddenness  of  transition  too, 
though  it  cannot  be  denied,  may  not  only  be  accounted  for  by 
the  nature  of  lyric  poetry,  but  was  probably  the  result  of  design 
in  order  to  give  more  force  to  the  contrast.  That  such  is  the 
effect  it  is  impossible  not  to  feel. 

In  Church. — This  is  one  of  the  Psalms  appointed  by  the 
Church,  to  be  read  in  her  service  on  the  Festival  of  the 
*   Treasury  of  David,  vol.  i.,  p.  290. 


86  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Nativity.  In  the  Latin  Church  this  Psalm  is  appointed  for 
use  also  on  the  festivals  of  the  Ascension,  and  of  Trinity 
Sunday ;  so  likewise  it  was  in  the  Sarum  Use ;  and  in  the 
Gregorian  Use  it  is  appointed  for  the  Annunciation."^ 

This  is  the  first  Psalm  at  Matins  on  Christmas  Day,  and  is 
wonderfully  appropriate  to  this  Festival.  God  to  a  certain 
extent  revealed  Himself  by  the  creation  of  the  heavens,  which 
tell  His  glory,  and  more  especially  of  the  sun,  which  gives  light 
to  all  the  earth,  and  from  whose  heat  nothing  is  hid  ;  and  in  a 
still  loftier  degree  did  reveal  Himself  in  the  written  word  which 
giveth  light  and  wisdom  '  converting  the  soul ' ;  but  the  full 
revelation  of  Himself  was  not  complete  until  He  sent  His  only 
Begotten,  the  Living  Word  to  take  our  nature  upon  Him. 
'  That  was  the  True  Light  which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh 
into  the  world.'  This  Psalm  bears  an  important  part  in  the 
teaching  of  the  Day.f 

The  Gospel  and  Epistle  for  the  Day  give  the  true  explana- 
tion of  the  choice  of  this  Psalm. 

Parallelism, — The  present  Psalm  affords  an  excellent  illus- 
tration of  that  parallelism  between  the  two  halves  of  a  verse, 
which  forms  so  marked  a  characteristic  of  Hebrew  poetry. 
There  is  scarcely  a  verse  in  this  Psalm  in  which  it  may  not  be 
traced.  In  the  first  verse  there  is  a  double  parallelism. 
'Heavens'  and  'glory,'  in  the  first  member,  correspond  to 
'firmament '  and  'handiwork  '  in  the  second. | 

Addison'' s  Metrical  Vej'sion  of  this  Psabn  : 

'The  spacious  firmament  on  high, 
With  all  the  blue  ethereal  sky 
And  spangled  heavens,  a  shining  frame, 
Their  great  Original  proclaim. 
The  unwearied  sun,  from  day  to  day, 
Does  his  Creator's  power  display  ; 
And  publishes,  to  every  land, 
The  work  of  an  Almighty  hand. 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary. 
t   Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  33. 
X   Companion  to  the  Psalter,  p.  44. 


PSALM  XIX.  87 

'  Soon  as  the  evening  shades  prevail, 
The  moon  takes  up  the  wondrous  tale, 
And  nightly  to  the  listening  earth 
Repeats  the  story  of  her  birth  : 
While  all  the  stars  that  round  her  burn, 
And  all  the  planets  in  their  turn, 
Confirm  the  tidmgs,  as  they  roll, 
And  spread  the  truth  from  pole  to  pole. 

'  What  though  in  solemn  silence  all 
Move  round  this  dark  terrestrial  ball  ? 
What  though  no  real  voice  or  sound, 
Amidst  their  radiant  orbs  be  found  ? 
In  reason's  ear  they  all  rejoice, 
And  utter  forth  a  glorious  voice  ; 
For  ever  singing  as  they  shine, 
"  The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine."  ' 

Verse  i.  The  heavens  declare  the  glo?'y  of  God;  a?id  the 
firmaiimit  sho7veth  His  handy-woj'k. — How  beautifully  has  our 
great  poet  imitated  this  passage,  combined  with  the  opening  of 
the  viiith  Psalm  ! 

'These  are  Thy  glorious  works,  Parent  of  good, 
Almighty  !     Thine  the  universal  frame, 
Thus  wondrous  fair  ;  Thyself  how  wondrous,  then  ! 
Unspeakable  !  who  sitt'st  above  these  heavens 
To  us  invisible,  or  dimly  seen 
In  these  Thy  lowest  works  ;  yet  these  declare 
Thy  goodness  beyond  thought,  and  Power  divine.' 

Paradise  Lost,  v.* 

'  There's  not  the  smallest  orb  that  thou  beholdest 
But  in  his  motion  like  an  angel  sings. 't 

William  Wordsworth  (177 0-1850)  : 

'  How  beautiful  this  dome  of  sky. 
And  the  vast  hills  in  fluctuation  fixed 
At  Thy  command,  how  awful  !     Shall  the  soul, 
Human  and  rational,  report  of  Thee 
Even  less  than  these  ?     Be  mute  who  will,  who  can  ; 
Yet  I  will  praise  Thee  with  impassioned  voice. 
My  lips,  that  may  forget  Thee  in  the  crowd, 
Cannot  forget  Thee  here,  where  Thou  hast  built 
For  Thine  own  glory,  in  the  wilderness  !' 


*    The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  59. 
t  Merchant  of  Venice. 


88  PSALM-MOSAICS 

James  Thomson  : 

'  The  glitt'ring  stars 
By  their  deep  ear  of  meditation  heard, 
Still  in  the  midnight  watches  sing  of  Him. 
He  nods  a  calm.     The  tempest  blows  His  wrath  ; 
The  thunder  is  His  voice  ;  and  the  red  flash 
His  speedy  sword  of  justice.     At  His  touch 
The  mountains  flame.     He  shakes  the  solid  earth, 
And  rocks  the  nations.      Nor  in  these  alone — 
In  ev'ry  common  instance  GoD  is  seen.' 

Verse  i.  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  afid  the  firjiia- 
ment  shoiveth  His  handy-work. — During  the  French  revolution, 
Jean  Bon  St.  Andre,  the  Vendean  revolutionist,  said  to  a 
peasant :  '  I  will  have  all  your  steeples  pulled  down,  that  you 
may  no  longer  have  any  object  by  which  you  may  be  reminded 
of  old  superstitions.'  '  But,'  replied  the  peasant,  ''you  cannot 
help  leaving  us  the  stars.^* 

Verse  2.  One  day  telle th  another,  and  one  night  certifieth 
another. — Dr.  Neale,  in  his  Commentary,  says  that  this  verse 
'  cannot  be  more  beautifully  taken  than  of  the  seasons  of 
the  Church's  year :  Festival  speaking  to  Festival,  Fast  to 
Fast ;  the  faithful  soul  by  Advent  prepared  for  Christmas ; 
by  Tent  for  Easter ;  by  the  Great  Forty  Days  of  Joy  for  the 
Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  :  and  by  all  these  days  of  transi- 
tory holiness,  made  ready  for  that  Eternal  day,  the  festival 
which  shall  never  be  concluded.' 

'  The  Church  on  earth,  with  answering  love, 
Echoes  her  mother's  joys  above  ; 
Those  yearly  feast-days  she  may  keep, 
And  yet  for  endless  iestals  weep.' 

The  Sequence  '■  SuperutB  matris  gatidiai' 

That  succession  of  doctrine  and  comfort,  day  speaking  to 
day  ;  what  a  wonderful  type  it  finds  in  the  midnight  of  a  Scan- 
dinavian summer  !  The  north-western  and  north-eastern  sky 
aglow  respectively  with  evening  and  morning  twilight,  and  the 
space  between  them  filled  with  the  lines  of  purple  or  crimson, 
the  links  which  unite  the  departing  to  the  coming  day  If 

*  John  Bate  :  Cyclopcedia  of  Mo7'al  and  Religious  Truths^  1866,  quoted 
in  Treasury  of  David ^  vol.  i.,  p.  315. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Coiinnejitary,  vol.  i.,  p.  262. 


PSALM  XIX.  89 

Verse  4.  T/ieir  sound  is  gone  out  into  all  lands,  and  their 
words  into  the  ends  of  the  iiwrld. — St.  John  Chrysostom's  mis- 
sionary efforts  extended  northwards  to  the  Danube,  and  south- 
wards to  Phoenicia,  Syria,  and  Palestine.  He  sought  out  men 
of  apostoHc  zeal  to  evangehze  some  Scythian  tribes  on  the 
banks  of  the  Danube,  and  appointed  a  Gothic  Bishop,  Unilas, 
who  accomphshed  great  things,  but  died  in  a.d.  404,  when 
Chrysostom  w^as  in  exile  and  unable  to  appoint  a  successor. 

A  novel  spectacle  was  witnessed  one  day  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Paul.  A  large  number  of  Goths  being  present,  Chrysostom 
ordered  some  portions  of  the  Bible  to  be  read  in  Gothic,  and 
caused  a  Gothic  presbyter  to  address  his  countrymen  in  their 
native  tongue.  The  Archbishop,  who  preached  afterwards, 
rejoiced  in  the  occurrence  as  a  visible  illustration  of  the  dif- 
fusion of  the  Gospel  among  all  nations  and  languages,  a 
triumph  before  their  very  eyes  over  Jews  and  Pagans,  and  a 
fulfilment  of  such  prophecy  as  '  Their  sound  is  gone  out  into  all 
lands'  '  The  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together,  and  the 
lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.'  '  Where  is  the  philosophy  of 
Plato  and  Pythagoras  ?  Extinguished.  Where  is  the  teaching 
of  the  tent-makers  and  the  fishermen  ?  Not  only  in  Judaea, 
but  also  among  the  barbarians,  as  ye  have  this  day  perceived, 
it  shines  more  brilliantly  than  the  sun  itself.  Scythians  and 
Thracians,  Samaritans,  Moors  and  Indians,  and  those  who  in- 
habit the  extremities  of  the  world,  possess  this  teaching 
translated  into  their  own  language  ;  they  possess  such  philo- 
sophy as  was  never  dreamed  of  by  those  who  wear  a  beard 
^nd  thrust  passengers  aside  w^ith  their  staff  in  the  Forum,  and 
shake  their  wnse  locks,  looking  more  like  lions  than  men.' 
'  Nay  !  our  w^orld  has  not  sufficed  for  these  evangelists ;  they 
have  betaken  themselves  even  to  the  ocean,  and  enclosed  bar- 
barian regions  and  the  British  Isles  in  their  net.'"^ 

Verses  5,  6.  In  them  hath  He  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun^ 
which  conieth  forth  as  a  bridegroom  out  of  his  chainber^  and  re- 

*  Life  of  S.fohn  Chrysostom,  by  W.  R.  W.  Stephens,  p.  237. 


90  PSALM-MOSAICS 

joiceth  as  a  giant  to  run  his  course.  It  goeth  forth  froin  the 
uttennost  part  of  the  heaven^  and  run?ieth  about  u?ito  the  e?td  of 
it  agai?i :  and  there  is  7iothi?ig  hid  from  the  heat  thereof. — In 
these  verses  the  Church  has  from  the  beginning  seen  a  mar- 
vellous type  of  the  Incarnation.  So  St.  Ambrose,  in  one  of 
his  most  noble  hymns  ( Veni  Redeniptor  Ge?itiuni)  : 

'  Forth  from  His  Chamber  goeth  He, 
The  Royal  Hall  of  Chastity  ; 
In  nature  two,  in  Person  One, 
His  glad  course,  giant-like,  to  run. 

*  From  God  the  Father  He  proceeds  ; 
To  God  the  Father  back  He  speeds  : 
Proceeds— as  far  as  very  hell, 
Speeds  back — to  light  ineffable.'* 

Verse  7.  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  an  un defiled  law.,  converting 
the  soul ;  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure.,  and  giveth  ivisdoni 
unto  the  simple. — 'A  certain  simple-minded  and  honest  man/ 
says  St.  Peter  Damiani,  '  one  that  feared  God,  had  been  hear- 
ing Matins,  and  was  returning  from  Church.  His  disciples 
asked  him,  "  What  did  you  hear  at  Church,  father  ?"  He 
answered,  "  I  heard  four  things  and  observed  six."  A  very 
subtle  reply,  and  one  which  showed  his  faith.  He  had  heard 
four  verses  of  the  iQth  Psalm,  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  an 
undefiled  law.,  etc.,  and  the  three  following  verses,  in  which  six 
things  are  noted,  which  are  law.,  testimony^  righteousness.,  com- 
mandments,  fear,  Judgments.'-^ 

Verse  12.  O  cleanse  Thou  nie  from  my  secret  faults. — There 
is  a  singular  poem  by  Hood,  called  'The  Dream  of  Eugene 
Aram,'  a  most  remarkable  piece  it  is  indeed,  illustrating  the 
point  on  which  we  are  now  dwelling.  Aram  had  murdered  a 
man,  and  cast  his  body  into  the  river — '  a  sluggish  water,  black 
as  ink,  the  depth  was  so  extreme.'  The  next  morning  he 
visited  the  scene  of  his  guilt : 


*  Dr.  Xeale's  Commentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  263, 
t  Ibid.,  p.  265. 


PSALM  XIX.  91 

*  And  sought  the  black  accursed  pool, 

\yith  a  wild  misgiving  eye  ; 
And  he  saw  the  dead  in  the  river  bed, 
For  the  faithless  stream  was  dry,' 

Next  he  covered  the  corpse  with  heaps  of  leaves,  but  a  mighty 
wind  swept  through  the  wood  and  left  the  secret  bare  before 
the  sun  : 

•  Then  down  I  cast  me  on  my  face, 

And  first  began  to  weep, 
For  I  knew  my  secret  then  was  one 

That  earth  refused  to  keep  ; 
On  land  or  sea  though  it  should  be 

Ten  thousand  fathoms  deep,' 

In  plaintive  notes  he  prophesies  his  own  discovery.  He  buried 
his  victim  in  a  grave,  and  trod  him  down  with  stones ;  but 
when  years  had  run  their  weary  round,  the  foul  deed  was 
discovered  and  the  murderer  put  to  death. 

Guilt  is  a  'grim  chamberlain,'  even  when  his  fingers  are  not 
bloody-red.  Secret  sins  bring  fevered  eyes  and  sleepless  nights, 
until  men  burn  out  their  consciences,  and  become  in  very  deed 
ripe  for  the  pit,"^ 

Dr.  George  Bull  was  Bishop  of  St,  David's.  Mr.  Robert 
Nelson  gives  an  account  of  his  last  illness  and  departure,  A 
few  days  before  his  death,  while  in  the  presence  of  several 
persons,  he  made  a  solemn  confession  and  declaration  of  the 
conduct  of  his  whole  life,  and  so  took  his  leave  of  the  world  in 
a  manner  the  most  edifying  that  could  be. 

First  the  Bishop  made  a  public  confession  of  his  faith,. 
in  the  words  of  the  Apostles'  Creed ;  he  then  gave  a  short 
account  of  his  life,  reviewing  his  sorrow  and  repentance  for  all 
his  sins.  In  the  last  place,  he  professed  that  as  he  had  always 
lived,  so  he  was  now  resolved  to  die,  in  the  communion  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  declared  that  he  believed  it  was  the 
best  constituted  Church  this  day  in  the  world  :  for  that  its  doc- 
trine, government,  and  way  of  worship  were,  in  the  main,  the 
same  w^th  those   of  the  primitive  Church.     He  then  put  up 

*  Spurgeon's  Sermon  (No.  Ii6)  on  Sca-et  Sins. 


92  PSALM-MOSAICS 

some  prayers  for  its  peace  and  prosperity,  and  declaring  again 
that  he  resolved  to  die  in  its  communion,  he  desired  absolu- 
tion, and  received  it.  He  concluded  this  his  open  confession 
in  the  very  words  of  the  Psalmist  David,  '  JVho  can  tell  how  oft 
he  offendeth  ?     O  cleanse  Tliou  nie  from  my  secret  faults  /' 

The  good  Bishop  died  in  1710,  and  the  last  word  he  spoke 
was  '  Amen '  to  the  commendatory  prayer,  which  he  repeated 
twice  distinctly  and  audibly  after  his  usual  manner,  a  very  little 
while  before  he  died."^ 

PSALM  XX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  for  the  king  in  time  of  war. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  National  x\nthem. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — when  he  prayed  to 
be  delivered  from  the  battle  of  the  Ammonites  ;  and  teaching 
us  now  that  it  is  prayer  that  helpeth  us. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm  was  intended  originally,  it 
would  seem,  to  be  sung  on  behalf  of  a  king  who  was  about  to 
go  forth  to  war  against  his  enemies.  .  .  .  For  what  special 
occasion  the  Psalm  was  first  composed,  it  is  of  course  now 
quite  impossible  to  say.  Some,  following  the  Syriac  translator, 
would  refer  it  to  the  time  of  David's  war  with  the  Syrians  and 
Ammonites  (2  Sam.  x.) ;  but  obviously  it  would  apply  to  other 
circumstances  as  well.     This  is  evidently  a  liturgical  Psalm. 

hi  Chnrch. — This  is  one  of  the  Psalms  used  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  daily  Greek  Morning  Office,  and  it  is  also 
appointed  for  use  in  the  Roman  Office  for  the  Visitation  of  the 
Sick.t     It  is  also  the  first  Psalm  for  the  Queen's  Accession. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — During  his  last  illness  Bossuet  from  time 
to  time  dictated  some  meditations  on  this  Psalm.]: 

*    Tlie  Last  Hours  of  Christian  Ilfen,  p.  250. 
t  litter  leaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  235. 
X  Bossuet  (Rivingtons),  p.  557. 


PSALM  XX.  93. 

Spurgeon  says  :  '  This  Psalm  has  been  much  used  for  corona- 
tion, thanksgiving,  and  fast  sermons,  and  no  end  of  nonsense  and 
sickening  flattery  has  been  tacked  thereto  by  the  trencher- 
chaplains  of  the  world's  Church.  If  kings  had  been  devils, 
some  of  these  gentry  would  have  praised  their  horns  and 
hoofs ;  for  although  some  of  their  royal  highnesses  have  been 
very  obedient  servants  of  the  prince  of  darkness,  these  false 
prophets  have  dubbed  them  "  most  gracious  sovereigns,"  and 
have  been  as  much  dazzled  in  their  presence  as  if  they  had 
beheld  the  beatific  vision.'* 

Nicholas  Bownd,  'Doctor  of  Divinitie '  in  1604,  preached 
twenty-two  Sermons  on  verses  1-6  of  this  Psalm.  Here  is  the 
title  of  his  work,  '  Medicines  for  the  Plague ;  that  is.  Godly 
and  Fruitful  Sermons  upon  part  of  the  Twentieth  Psalme,  full 
of  instructions  and  comfort ;  very  fit  generally  for  all  times  of 
affliction,  but  more  particularly  applied  to  the  late  visitation  of 
the  Plague.  Preached  at  the  same  time  at  Norton  in  Suffolke, 
by  Nicholas  Bownd,  Doctor  of  Divinitie,  1604.'! 

Verse  3.  Remember  all  thy  offeri?igs ;  a?id  accept  thy  burnt 
sacrifice. — '  The  Lord  be  with  you.  These  are  the  Sacramental 
words  of  the  deacon,  the  only  words  that  I  have  any  right  to 
say  to  you,  dear  friend  and  brother,  as  you  go  up  to  the  holy 
Altar.  But  I  say  them  out  of  the  very  fulness  of  my  heart, 
and  with  all  the  deepest  meaning  such  solemn  words  convey. 
Yes,  indeed,  may  the  Lord  be  with  you,  dear  brother  I  May 
He  be  with  you  this  morning  at  the  Altar  of  your  first  mass,  to 
accept  your  virgin  troth,  and  to  receive  your  eternal  vows  with 
that  reciprocal  love  which  exceeds  all  other  love. 

'  May  He  be  with  you  all  through  this  great  day,  to  preserve 
within  your  soul  that  perfume  of  heavenly  incense,  that  sweet 
scent  of  the  sacrifice  you  have  begun,  but  which,  thank  God, 
knows  no  end.  May  He  be  with  you  to-morrow,  to  teach  you 
that  His  joy  possesses  a  somewhat  eternal  power,  which,  unlike 

*■   The  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  i.,  p.  350. 
t  Ibid. 


-94  PSALM-MOSAICS 

-earth's  joys,  can  never  be  exhausted.  ]May  He  be  with  you 
when,  the  first  sacred  intoxicating  delight  over,  you  reab"ze  that 
it  is  yours  to  minister  to  men,  and  that  you  must  leave  Mount 
Tabor,  and  seek  the  suffering,  the  ignorant,  those  who  hunger 
and  thirst  for  the  true  light  and  life  May  He  be  with  you  in 
your  grief  to  comfort  you  ;  in  your  joy  to  sanctify  you  ;  in  all 
your  longings,  that  they  may  bring  forth  fruit.  Meinor  sit  omnis 
sacrificii  tiii  et  holocaustum  tuum  pingue  fiat."^ 

Verse  7.  Some  put  their  trust  in  chariots^  and  some  in  horses  ; 
hut  we  will  remember  the  Name  of  the  Lord  our  God. — William 
Arnot  (1858)  says  :  '  It  is  easy  to  persuade  papists  to  lean  on 
priests  and  saints,  on  old  rags  and  painted  pictures — on  any 
idol ;  but  it  is  hard  to  get  a  Protestant  to  trust  in  the  living  God.' 

Verse  8.  We  are  risen  and  sta?id  upright. — At  Port  Glasgow 
there  dwelt  a  family  (two  brothers  and  a  sick  sister)  distin- 
guished, like  the  two  Campbells,  for  a  profound  and  saintly 
piety,  which  had  marked  them  out  from  their  neighbours,  and 
attracted  to  them  many  friends  out  of  their  own  condition. 

James  Macdonald  had  returned  from  the  building-yard, 
where  he  pursued  his  daily  business,  to  his  mid-day  dinner, 
after  the  calm  usage  of  a  labouring  man.  He  found  the 
invalid  of  the  household  in  the  agonies  of  this  new  inspiration. 
The  awed  and  wondering  family  concluded  with  reverential 
gravity  that  she  was  dying,  and  thus  accounted  to  themselves 
for  the  singular  exhibition  they  saw.  '  At  dinner  -  time, 
James  and  George  came  home  as  usual,'  says  the  simple 
family  narrative,  '  whom  she  then  addressed  at  great  length, 
concluding  with  a  solemn  prayer  for  James,  that  he  might  at 
that  time  be  endued  with  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Almost  instantly  James  said  :  "  I  have  got  it."  He  walked  to 
the  window,  and  stood  silent  for  a  minute  or  two.  I  looked 
at  him,  and  almost  trembled,  there  was  such  a  change  upon 
his  whole  countenance.  He  then,  with  a  step  and  manner  of 
the  most  indescribable  majesty,  walked  up  to 's  bedside, 

*  Henri  Perreyve,  p.  42. 


PSALM  XXI.  95 

and  addressed  her  in  these  words  of  the  twentieth  Psalm, 
"  Arise  a?id  stand  upright.'^  He  repeated  the  words,  took  her 
by  the  hand,  and  she  arose.  After  this  wonderful  event,  with 
inconceivable  human  composure,'  the  homely  record  con- 
tinues, '  we  all  quietly  sat  down  and  took  our  dinner ;'  an 
anti-climax  to  the  extraordinary  agitation  and  excitement  of 
the  scene  just  described,  which  no  fiction  dared  attempt. 
The  young  woman  was  not  merely  raised  from  her  sick-bed 
for  the  moment,  but  cured,  and  the  next  step  taken  by 
the  brother,  so  suddenly  and  miraculously  endued,  was  to 
write  to  Mary  Campbell,  then  apparently  approaching  death, 
■conveying  to  her  the  same  command  which  had  been  so 
•effectual  in  the  case  of  her  sister.  The  sick  estatic  received 
this  letter  in  the  depths  of  languor  and  declining  weakness, 
and  without  even  the  hands  of  the  newly  inspired  to  help  her, 
rose  up  and  declared  herself  healed."^ 

Verse  9.  Save,  Lord,  a?id  hear  its,  O  Khig  of  heaven,  when 
■we  call  upon  Thee. — '  O  Jehovah,  save  the  King  !  May  He 
answer  us  when  we  cry  (unto  Him).'  Such  is  the  rendering  of 
the  LXX.,  which  is  also  followed  by  the  Vulgate.  Domine 
^alvum  fac  regem,  whence  our  '  God  save  the  King.'t 

PSALM  XXL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Thanksgiving  for  the  King  in  time  of 
war. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Royal  Triumphal  Ode. 

Conteiits  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Supplication  for 
those  things  that  are  profitable  to  a  righteous  man. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  last  Psalm  was  a  litany  before  the 
king  went  forth  to  battle.  This  is  apparently  a  Te  Deum  on 
his  return.  .  .  .  The  Psalm  was  evidently  sung  in  the  Temple, 
■either  by  the  whole  congregation  or  by  the  choir  of  Levites. 

*  Life  of  Edward  Irving,  p.  289. 

t   Tiie  Book  of  Psalms ^  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  226. 


96  PSALM-MOSAICS 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  the  first  at  Matins  on  Ascension 
Day,  and  the  second  on  the  Queen's  Accession.  In  the 
Eastern  Church,  verses  3,  4  and  6  are  sung  in  the  plural  in 
the  Office  for  Holy  Matrimony — Prokeimenon  of  the  Epistle, 

That  the  primary  reference  in  this  Psalm  is  to  David  himself, 
there  need  be  no  doubt ;  at  the  same  time,  the  blessings 
promised — the  endless  life,  the  glory  and  great  worship,  the 
everlasting  felicity — are  of  such  a  transcendent  character  as  to 
demand  a  higher  range  of  fulfilment,  another  King  in  Whose 
Person  and  Kingdom  all  these  bright  visions  should  be  realized. 
Such  a  fulfilment  we,  as  Christians,  recognise,  when,  having 
conquered  Satan  and  burst  the  gates  of  death,  Jesus  ascended 
into  Heaven,  and  resumed  His  throne  of  glory  at  the  Father's 
right  hand.  And  for  this  reason  the  present  Psalm  is  very 
appropriately  chosen  as  one  of  the  Proper  Psalms  for  Ascension 
Day.^ 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  undoubtedly  refers  to  Our 
Blessed  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  even  Jewish  expositors  have 
so  regarded  it.  Rashi,  one  of  the  most  esteemed  of  them, 
says,  '  This  Psalm  was  interpreted  of  the  King-^lessiah  by  our 
ancient  teachers;  but,  in  order  to  meet  schismatics  {i.e.,  the 
Christians),  it  is  better  to  understand  it  of  David  himself.'! 

Verse  3 .  For  Thou  shall  prevent  him  with  the  blessings  of 
goodness. — To  prevent,  from  prcevenio.,  literally  signifies  to  go 
before.  Hence  that  prayer  in  the  Communion  Service  of  our 
public  Liturgy,  ^Prevent  us,  O  Lord,  in  all  our  doings  with 
Thy  most  gracious  favour  !'  That  is,  *  Go  before  us  in  Thy 
mercy,  make  our  way  plain,  and  enable  us  to  perform  what  is 
right  in  Thy  sight  !' 

Our  ancestors  used  '  God  before '  in  this  sense.  So  in 
Henry  V.'s  speech  to  the  French  herald  previously  to  the 
battle  of  Agincourt : 

*   Companion  to  the  Psalter,  p.  49. 
t  Ibid. 


PSALM  XXI.  97 

'  Go  therefore  ;  tell  thy  master,  here  I  am. 
My  ransom  is  this  frail  and  worthless  trunk  ; 
My  army,  but  a  weak  and  sickly  guard  : 
Yet,  God  before,  tell  him  we  will  come  on, 
Though  France  himself,  and  such  another  neighbour, 
Stand  in  our  way.'* 

And  shalt  set  a  croivn  of  pure  gold  upon  his  head. — It  seems 
not  unlikely  there  is  a  reference  here  to  the  siege  of  Rabbah 
(2  Sam.  xii.  29,  30),  when,  after  the  city  was  taken,  the  king's 
■crown,  'weighing  a  talent  of  gold,  with  precious  stones,  was 
set  on  David's  head.'t 

The  Vulgate  has  of  precious  stones.  Innocent  III.  will  have 
it  to  consist  of  seven  precious  stones  (the  crown  of  righteous- 
ness) ;  four  corporeal  gifts  of  the  transfigured — agility,  subtilty, 
impassibility,  immortality;  and  three  of  the  glorified  spirit — 
love,  knowledge,  happiness.  J 

Verse  4.  He  asked  life  of  Thee,  and  Thou  gavest  him  a  lo7ig 
■life :  even  for  ever  and  ever. 

'  We  ask  for  life,  and  mean  thereby 

A  few  uncertain  years, 
The  sunshine  of  a  changeful  sky 

Over  a  vale  of  tears  ; 
But  Thou  art  better  than  our  prayers, 

And'givest,  in  Thy  love, 
A  shorter  path  through  earthly  cares, 

A  longer  rest  above. 
From  sin  and  strife,  with  sorrow  rife, 

Thine  earihly  call  doth  sever  ; 
Thou  givest  us  a  longer  life, 

For  ever  and  for  ever  !'§ 

Verse  13.  Be  Thou  exalted,  Lord,  in  Thine  oivn  st?'ength  ; 
so  will  ive  sing,  and  praise  Thy  power. — Dionysius  the  Car- 
thusian bids  us  note  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy,  in  the 
fact  that  Christian  hymnody  and  Psalms  began  immediately- 
after  the  Ascension  of  Christ  and  the  descent  of  the  Paraclete, 
never  ceasing  since  throughout  the  ages.|| 

*  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  1998. 

f  Companion  to  the  Psalter,  p.  49. 

X  Dr.  Neale's  Commeiitary,  vol.  i.,  p.  279. 

§  Dr.  Monsell. 

II  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  p.  286. 


98  PSALM-MOSAICS 

PSALM  XXII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Eli  Eli  Lama  Asabtani. 

Tt'f/e  (Spurgeon). — This  is  beyond  all  others  The  P^alm  of 
the  Cross. 

Co7ite7its  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — when  his  persecutors 
mocked  him — Concerning  also  the  sufferings  of  the  Messiah, 
and  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles. 

Origin  (Perowne). — According  to  the  Inscription,  this  is  one 
of  David's  Psalms.  We  know,  however,  of  no  circumstances 
in  his  life  to  which  it  can  possibly  be  referred.  Li  none  of  his 
persecutions  by  Saul  was  he  ever  reduced  to  such  straits  as 
those  here  described.  .  .  .  The  older  Jewish  interpreters  felt 
the  difficulty,  and  thought  that  the  sorrows  of  Israel  in  exile 
were  the  subject  of  the  singer's  complaint.  Without  adopting 
this  view  to  the  full  extent,  it  is  so  far  worthy  of  consideration 
that  it  points  to  what  is  probably  the  correct  view,  viz.,  that  the 
Psalm  was  composed  by  one  of  the  exiles  during  the  Baby- 
lonish captivity.  And  though  the  feelings  and  expressions  are 
clearly  individual,  not  national,  yet  they  are  the  feelings  and 
expressions  of  one  who  suffers  not  merely  as  an  individual,  but, 
so  to  speak,  in  a  representative  character. 

Title :  Aijeleth  Shahar.  —  Christmas  Evans,  an  eloquent 
though  eccentric  Welsh  preacher,  shows  how  the  title  of  this 
Psalm  is  one  which  may  be  applied  to  the  whole  life  of  Christ  : 
The  title  of  the  twenty-second  Psalm  is  Aijeleth  Shahar — the 
mornifig  hind.  The  whole  Psalm  refers  to  Christ,  containing 
much  that  cannot  be  applied  to  another ;  parting  His  gar- 
ments, casting  lots  for  His  vesture,  etc. 

He  is  described  as  a  kindly,  meek,  and  beautiful  hart,  started 
by  the  huntsmen  at  the  dawn  of  day.  Herod  began  hunting 
Him  down  as  soon  as  He  appeared.  Poverty,  the  hatred  of 
men,  and  the  temptation  of  Satan,  joined  in  the  pursuit.    There 


PSALM  XXII. 


99 


always  was  some  '  dog  '  or  '  bull '  or  '  unicorn  '  ready  to  attack 
Him.  After  His  first  sermon,  the  huntsmen  gathered  about 
Him  ;  but  He  was  too  fleet  of  foot,  and  escaped.  The  Church 
had  long  seen  the  Messiah  '  like  a  roe,  or  a  young  hart,  upon 
the  mountains ;'  had  heard  the  voice  of  her  Beloved,  and  had 
cried  out,  'Behold!  he  cometh,  leaping  upon  the  mountains, 
skipping  upon  the  hills  ;'  sometimes  He  was  even  seen,  with 
the  dawn  of  day,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  temple,  and 
beside  the  enclosures  of  the  vineyards.  The  Church  requested 
to  see  Him  *  on  the  mountains  of  Bether,'  and  upon  'the 
mountains  of  spices.'  The  former  probably  signifying  the  place 
of  His  sufferings,  and  the  latter  the  sublime  acclivities  of  light, 
glory,  and  honour,  where  the  '  hart '  shall  be  hunted  no  more. 
But  in  the  afternoon,  the  huntsmen  who  had  been  following 
the  'young  roe  '  from  early  day-break,  had  succeeded  in  driving 
Him  to  the  mountains  of  Bether.  Christ  found  Calvary  a 
craggy,  jagged,  and  fearful  hill— 'a  mountain  of  division.' 
Here  He  was  driven  by  the  huntsmen  to  the  edges  of  the 
awful  precipices  yawning  destruction  from  below,  while  He  was 
surrounded  and  held  at  bay  by  all  the  beasts  of  prey  and 
monsters  of  the  infernal  quest. 

The  '  unicorn  '  and  the  '  bulls  of  Bashan  '  gored  Him  with 
their  horns ;  the  great  '  lion  '  roared  at  Him,  and  the  '  dog ' 
fastened  himself  upon  Him.  But  He  foiled  them  all.  In  His 
own  time  He  bowed  His  head  and  gave  up  the  ghost.  He 
was  buried  in  a  new  grave,  and  His  assailants  reckoned  upon 
complete  victory.  They  had  not  considered  that  He  was  a 
*  morning  hart.'  Surely  enough,  at  the  appointed  time,  did  He 
escape  from  the  hunter's  net,  and  stand  forth  on  the  mountains 
of  Israel  alive,  and  never,  never  to  die  again. 

Now  He  is  with  Mary  in  the  garden,  giving  evidence  of  His 
own  resurrection  ;  in  a  moment  He  is  at  Emmaus,  encouraging 
the  too  timid  and  bewildered  disciples.  Nor  does  it  cost  Him 
any  trouble  to  go  thence  to  Galilee  to  His  friends,  and  again 
to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  '  on  the  mountains  of  spices,'  canying 
with  Him  the  day-dawn,  robed  in  life  and  beauty  for  evermore. 


loo  PSALM-MOSAICS 

hi  Church. — Appointed  by  the  Church  of  England  as  one 
of  the  special  Psalms  for  Good  Friday. 

The  Whole  Psabn. — It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Theodore  of 
Mopsuestia  was  condemned  in  the  fifth  (Ecumenical  Council, 
and  in  the  Provincial  Synod  of  Rome  under  Vigilius,  for 
asserting  that  this  Psalm  was  to  be  understood  of  David  only, 
and  had  no  direct  reference  to  our  Lord  ;  one  of  the  few 
instances  in  which  the  Church  has  condemned  or  asserted  a 
particular  explanation  of  a  particular  text  of  Scripture.  1  he 
most  ancient  explanations  of  the  Jews  themselves  refer  it  to 
Christ;  and  Rabbi  Solomon  says  that  the  Messiah  in  the 
midst  of  His  sufferings  would  sing  this  Psalm  aloud  * 

The  twenty-second  Psalm,  St.  Augustine  says,  was  sung  in  the 
North  African  congregation  at  the  Easter  celebration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  More  than  fourteen  centuries  have  passed 
since  the  Vandals  drowned  those  songs  in  blood,  but  a  stranger 
who  happens  to  look  in  upon  a  Scottish  congregation  on  a 
Communion  Sabbath  will  be  likely  enough  to  find  the  Psalm 
turned  to  the  same  holy  and  solemn  use.f 

Mr.  Coleridge  once  said :  I  am  much  delighted  and  in- 
structed by  the  hypothesis,  which  I  think  probable,  that  our 
Lord  in  repeating  '  Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani '  really  recited 
the  whole  or  a  large  part  of  the  22nd  Psalm.  It  is  impossible 
to  read  that  Psalm  without  the  liveliest  feelings  of  love,  grati- 
tude, and  sympathy.  It  is,  indeed,  a  wonderful  prophecy, 
whatever  might  or  might  not  have  been  David's  notion  when 
he  composed  it.  Whether  Christ  did  audibly  repeat  the  whole 
or  not,  it  is  certain,  I  think,  that  He  did  it  mentally,  and  said 
aloud  what  was  sufficient  to  enable  His  followers  to  do  the 
same.  Even  at  this  day,  to  repeat  in  the  same  manner  but  the 
first  line  of  a  common  hymn  would  be  understood  as  a 
reference  to  the  whole.  Above  all,  I  am  thankful  for  the 
thought  which  suggested  itself  to  my  mind,  whilst  I  was  read- 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commenta7y,  vol.  i.,  p.  288. 

t    The  Psalms :  their  History,  etc.,  by  Dr.  Binnie,  pp.  172,  173. 


PSALM  XXII.  loi 

ing  this  beautiful  Psalm,  viz.,  that  we  should  not  exclusively 
think  of  Christ  as  the  Logos  united  to  human  nature,  but 
likewise  as  a  perfect  man  united  to  the  Logos.  This  distinc- 
tion is  most  important  in  order  to  conceive,  much  more  appro- 
priately to  feel,  the  conduct  and  exertion  of  Jesus.* 

All  the  benefits  of  the  Ago?i}\  which  is  chronicled  in  the 
22nd  Psalm,  are  exhibited  in,  and  conferred  by,  a  mysterious 
rite,  which  is  imaged  by  a  Feast,  and  connected  with  worship  : 

'  The  poor  shall  eat,  and  be  satisfied. 
Your  heart  shall  live  for  ever. 

Have  eaten  and  bowed  down  all  ihe  lusty  ones  of  the  earth. 
Before  Him  shall  bend  all  those  who  descend  to  ihe  dust.' 

Our  Lord's  words,  in  the  sixth  of  St.  John,  answer  to  this : 
'  I  am  the  Living  Bread,  which  came  down  from  Heaven.  If 
any  man  eat  of  this  Bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever.'  '  How 
natural,'  cries  Delitzsch,  '  is  the  thought  of  the  Sacramental 
Eucharist,  in  which  the  Second  David,  like  the  first,  having 
attained  to  the  Throne  through  the  Suffering  of  Death,  makes 
us  partakers  of  the  fruit  of  that  suffering  !'t 

Bossuet,  some  time  before  his  death,  '  used  to  speak  as 
though  he  were  looking  to  the  fatal  termination  of  his  malady, 
and  he  told  those  around  him  that  he  never  had  the  22nd 
Psalm,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me  ?"  out 
of  his  mind ;  that  he  went  to  sleep  and  woke  up  repeating  it, 
calling  it  "  the  Psalm  of  death  "  as  consecrated  to  the  Saviour 
in  His  own  Agony ;  adding  that  it  was  "  full  of  confidence,  and 
there  is  nothing  like  confidence  as  a  preparation  for  death." '% 

Reference  in  New  Testament.— T\\q  references  in  the  New 
Testament,  as  fulfilled  in  Christ,  are  many.  The  first  words  of 
it  were  uttered  by  Jesus  on  the  Cross  (St.  Matt,  xxvii.  46).  The 
scorn  of  the  passers-by  and  the  shaking  of  the  head  in  verse  7 
have  their  counterpart  in  the  story  of  the  Crucifixion  (St.  Matt. 

*  Coleridge,   7 able-Talk,  p.  86. 

t    IVitnes's  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity. 

X  Life  0/ Bossuet  (Rivingtons),  p.  557. 


102  PSALM-MOSAICS 

xxvii.  39).  The  words  of  verse  8  are  found  in  St.  Matt, 
xxvii.  43  ;  the  intense  thirst,  '  my  tongue  cleaveth  to  my  gums, 
of  verse  15,  in  St.  John  xix.  28;  the  parting  of  the  garments, 
of  verse  18,  in  St.  John  xix.  23  ;  the  piercing  (if  that  is  the 
correct  reading)  of  the  hands  and  feet,  in  verse  17,  in  the  nail- 
ing of  the  cross.  Similarly  we  are  justified  in  interpreting  the 
latter  part  of  the  Psalm  of  the  fruit  of  Christ's  Passion  and 
Resurrection,  by  the  way  in  which  verse  22  is  quoted  in 
Hebrews  ii.  11,  etc."^ 

T/iere  is  a  tradition  that  our  Lord,  hanging  on  the  Cross, 
began — as  we  know  from  the  Gospel — this  Psalm,  and  repeating 
it  and  those  that  follow,  gave  up  Plis  most  blessed  Spirit  when 
He  came  to  the  sixth  verse  of  the  31st  Psalm.  However  that 
may  be,  by  taking  these  first  words  on  His  lips,  He  stamped 
the  Psalm  as  belonging  to  Himself.t 

TJie  Evangelical  Demonstration  (by  Eusebius  of  Ceesarea, 
consisting  of  20  books,  of  which  five  have  perished)  is  a 
lengthened  argument  from  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  themselves 
that  Christ  was  the  Messiah,  and  that  none  other  is  to  be 
expected.  The  15th  Book  ends  with  an  interpretation  of  the 
22nd  Psalm.:}: 

Verse  9.  Thoit  art  He  that  took  me  out  of  my  mother's  womb. — 
Dr.  Robert  Sanderson,  some  time  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  the  day 
before  he  took  his  bed — which  was  three  days  before  his  death 
—  -that  he  might  receive  a  new  assurance  for  the  pardon  of  his 
sins  past,  and  be  strengthened  in  his  way  to  the  New  Jeru- 
salem, took  the  blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
his  and  our  blessed  Jesus,  from  the  hands  of  his  chaplain, 
Mr.  Pullen,  accompanied  with  his  wife,  children,  and  a  friend, 
in  as  awful,  humble,  and  ardent  a  manner  as  outward  reverence 
could  express. 

After  the  praise  and  thanksgiving  for  it  was  ended,  he  spake 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  232. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  288. 

X  Dr.  Neale's  Holy  Eastern  Church  {Patriarchate  of  Antioch),  p.  80. 


PSALM  XXII.  103 

to  this  purpose :  '  Thou,  O  God,  tookest  me  out  of  my  mother  s 
7vomb,  and  hast  been  the  powerful  protector  of  me  to  this 
present  moment  of  my  hfe.  Thou  hast  neither  forsaken  me 
«o\v  I  am  become  grey-headed,  nor  suffered  me  to  forsake 
Thee  in  the  late  days  of  temptation,  and  sacrifice  my  conscience 
for  the  preservation  of  my  liberty  or  estate.  It  was  by  grace 
that  I  have  stood,  when  others  have  fallen  under  my  trials  ;  and 
these  mercies  I  now  remember  with  joy  and  thankfulness ;  and 
my  hope  and  desire  is  that  I  may  die  praising  Thee.'"^ 

Verse  1 2 .  Many  oxen  are  come  about  me ;  fat  bulls  of  Basa7i 
close  me  in  on  every  side. — Bishop  Wordsworth  says  :  '  Much 
misconception  respecting  Shakespeare's  treatment  of  Holy 
Scripture  has  prevailed  among  his  critics,  even  of  the  highest 
rank.  Let  me  produce  one  notable  example,  derived  from 
the  play  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  Act  III.,  Sc.  ii. 

After  the  ignominious  flight,  in  which  Antony  had  followed 
Cleopatra  from  the  coast  of  Actium  back  to  Alexandria, 
Octavius  Caesar,  the  conqueror,  sends  a  messenger  to  en- 
deavour to  detach  the  queen  from  her  paramour.  This  mes- 
senger is  received  favourably  by  Cleopatra  in  a  private  inter- 
view, and  just  as  he  is  kissing  her  hand,  previous  to  his 
departure,  Antony  comes  in,  and  in  the  highest  strain  of  indig- 
nation, embittered  by  the  consciousness  of  his  downfall  and 
disgrace,  upbraids  her  as  follows  : 

Antony.  To  let  a  fellow  that  will  take  rewards, 
And  say,  God  quit  yon  !  be  familiar  with 
My  playfellow,  your  hand  ;  this  kingly  seal, 
And  plighter  of  iiigh  hearts  !     O  that  I  were 
Upon  the  hill  of  Basan,  to  oiitroar 
The  horned  herd,  for  I  have  savage  cause  ; 
And  to  proclaim  it  civilly  were  like 
A  halter'd  neck,  which  does  the  hangman  thank 
For  being  yare  (adroit)  about  him.' 

This  passage  gives  striking  evidence  of  our  poet's  familiarity 

with    the    Old    Testament;    see    Psa.    xxii.    12;    Ixviii.    15; 

Ezek.  xxxix.  18;  Amos  iv.  i.     But  is  there  anything  to  give 

offence  even  to  the  most  pious  mind,  in  the  way  in  which  he 

*  Izaak  Walton's  Lives,  p.  400. 


104  PSALM-MOSAICS 

has  applied  his  knowledge  of  these  several  texts  ?  And  yet  not 
only  has  Mr.  Bo^Ydler  omitted  the  reference  to  the  '  hill  of 
Basan '  as  indecorous,  but  critics,  including  Johnson  himself, 
have  concurred  in  condemning  it  as  matter  for  regret,  nay,  even 
for  'pity  and  indignation.'"^ 

Verse  14.  All  my  bones  are  out  of  joitit. — In  the  literal  mean- 
ing, these  words   have  given  rise  to  some  of  those  long  and 
patient  disquisitions  which  have  inquired  into 
I  the  component  parts  of  the  cross,   and   the 

I  nature  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  there.     The 

j ______  Eastern  Church,  as  well  as  some  particular 

Doctors  of  the  West,  has  always  held  that, 

besides   the  cross  and  the  nails,  our  Lord 

I  was  supported  by  a  smaller  transverse  bar 

I  beneath  His  Feet ;  and  that,  in  the  convul- 

I  ^^^"^      sion  of  death,  this  became  slightly  displaced, 

.,,,'--'"''^1  so  as  to  present  the  form  which  surmounts 

all  Oriental  Churches.t 

Verse  20.  My  darlings  or  my  only  one.  From  the  paral- 
lelism=my  soul,  my  life.  In  similar  connection  xxxv.  17. 
The  LXX.  in  both  places  tt,v  iMovoyivri  ij^ov  ;  Vulg.,  unicam 
meam.  It  occurs  besides,  Judges  xi.  34,  of  Jephthah's  daughter 
(see  Genesis  xxii.  2).+ 

Verse  21.  Save  me  from  the  lio?is  mouth. — Not  long  after  this 
{i.e.,  the  execution  of  Lord  Russell,  in  1683),  Dr.  Burnet 
was  discharged  from  preaching  the  Thursday  lecture  at 
St.  Clement's,  for  a  sermon  on  the  words  '  Save  me  from  the 
lion's  mouth  ;  Thou  hast  heard  me  fro7n  the  lwr?is  of  the  uni- 
corns.' This  was  thought  of  dangerous  construction,  because 
the  lion  and  unicorn  supported  the  king's  escutcheon  ;  so  timid 
a  thing  is  tyranny.  On  the  accession  of  James  II.,  Dr.  Burnet 
left  England,  and  during  his  reign  resided  in  Holland,  enjoying 

*  Shakespeare  s  Knowledge  and  Use  of  the  Bible,  by  Bishop  Charles 
Wordsworth,  p.  50. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Co;>nnentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  298. 

X   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J>  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  237. 


PSALM  XXIII.  105 

the  friendship  and  confidence  of  the  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Orange,  who  afterwards  came  to  the  Enghsh  throne.  Dr. 
Burnet  was  on  the  scaffold  with  Lord  Russell.^ 


PSALM  xxin. 

Heading  (DeUtzsch). — Praise  of  the  Good  Shepherd. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— David's  Heavenly  Pastoral. 

Contejits  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  concerning  his  royal 
table  ;  and,  as  respects  ourselves,  spiritually  applied  to  Christian 
nations  in  a  new  way. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — It  is  unnecessary  to  refer  this  Psalm  to 
any  particular  period  of  David's  history.  As  the  outpouring  of 
a  heart  which  has  found  perfect  rest  in  God,  it  was  probably 
written  in  advanced  years,  after  a  long  experience  of  God's 
goodness.  Its  language  is  coloured  by  the  reminiscences  of 
his  past  life.  His  own  shepherd  experience  no  doubt  suggested 
the  image  of  the  former  part ;  and  in  the  latter  we  may  perhaps 
trace  a  recollection,  more  or  less  distinct,  of  the  circumstances 
mentioned  in  2  Samuel  xvii.  27-29,  when,  on  David's  coming 
to  Mahanaim  during  Abraham's  rebellion,  he  and  his  party 
were  succoured  and  refreshed  in  their  faintness  and  weariness, 
through  the  kindness  of  Barzillai  and  other  friends  who  supplied 
their  wants. 

In  Church. — In  the  Holy  Eastern  Church  at  the  Burial  of 
Priests  the  Psalm  is  used  with  Alleluia,  Alleluia,  after  each 
verse. 

This  Psalm,  together  with  Psalms  Ixxxiv.  and  cxlv.,  is  chanted 
by  the  Choir  in  the  Graeco-Russian  Church,  at  the  consecration 
of  a  Church  while  the  Altar-Throne  is  being  prepared.  Here 
is  the  account  of  a  rather  elaborate  ceremony.  '  Now  they  ' 
(the  priests)  '  begin  to  wash  the  Throne  ;  sprinkling  it  plentifully 

*  Biography  of  Lady  Russell,  by  Mr.  Child,  p.  68. 


io6  PSALM  MOSAICS 

with  holy  water,  and  rubbing  it  with  soap  and  sponges.  Not 
a  fibre  of  the  wood  is  left  unwashed  ;  within,  without,  under- 
neath and  round  about,  they  rub,  splash,  and  wipe  dry.  After 
this,  four  large  nails  are  driven  into  the  corners  with  stones, 
thus  fastening  the  thick  top  of  the  table  to  its  legs  ;  and  the 
holes  made  for  the  heads  of  the  nails  are  filled  up  with 
Voskomastica,  a  mixture  of  wax,  mastic,  incense,  and  powdered 
marble,  melted  together.  This  is  in  remembrance  of  the 
'  spices  and  ointments '  that  the  holy  women  prepared  for  the 
Body  of  Jesus.  The  superfluous  Voskomastica  is  scraped 
away,  with  knives  prepared  for  the  purpose.  Perfumes  are 
then  poured  on  the  table,  mingled  with  holy  water,  and  wiped 
away  ;  also  red  wine,  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  after  which  the 
wood  is  rubbed  as  perfectly  dry  as  possible."^ 

T/ie  JF/io/e  Psahn. — In  the  well-known  paraphrase  of  this 
Psalm  by  Joseph  Addison — who  found  in  it  throughout  life 
the  best  expression  of  his  own  devotions — we  seem  to  trace 
the  poet's  allusion  to  his  own  personal  dangers  and  escapes  in 
his  Alpine  and  Italian  journeys,  so  the  imagery  in  which  the 
Psalmist  describes  his  dependence  on  the  shepherd-like 
Providence  of  God  must  be  derived  from  the  remembrance  of 
his  own  crook  and  staff.  Macaulay,  in  his  Essay  on  the  Life 
and  Writings  of  Addison,  says  :  '  Of  the  Psalms,  his  favourite 
was  that  which  represents  the  Ruler  of  all  things  under  the 
endearing  name  of  a  shepherd,  whose  crook  guides  the  flock 
safe,  through  gloomy  and  desolate  glens,  to  meadows  well 
watered  and  rich  with  herbage.  On  that  goodness  to  which 
he  ascribed  all  the  happiness  of  his  life,  he  relied  in  the  hour 
of  death  with  the  love  which  casteth  out  fear.' 

For  a  beautiful  metrical  paraphrase  of  this  Psalm  see  the 
Hymn  by  the  Rev.  Sir  Henry  W.  Baker,  Bart.,  in  Hymns 
Ancient  and  Modern  (No.  T97),  'The  King  of  Love  my 
Shepherd  is.'  In  Alford's  'Year  of  Praise,'  this  hymn  is  given 
as  in  the  original,  with  the  omission  of  one  verse.  In  other 
*  Tlie  Gneco- Russian  Chtirch,  pp.  90,  91. 


PSALM  XXIII.  107 

collections  it  is  much  altered.    The  original  is  Herbert's  render- 
ing of  Psalm  xxiii.,  and  is  given  in  The  Temple  under  that  title."^ 

Isaac  Taylor's  Testimony. — This  is  an  ode  which  for  beauty 
of  sentiment  is  not  to  be  matched  in  the  circuit  of  all  literature. 
In  its  way  down  three  thousand  years  or  more,  this  Psalm  has 
penetrated  to  the  depths  of  miUions  of  hearts  ;  it  has  gladdened 
homes  of  destitution  and  discomfort ;  it  has  whispered  hope 
and  joy  amid  tears  to  the  utterly  solitary  and  forsaken,  whose 
only  refuge  was  in  Heaven.  Beyond  all  range  of  probable 
calculations  have  these  dozen  lines  imparted  a  power  of  endur- 
ance under  suffering,  and  strength  in  feebleness,  and  have  kept 
alive  the  flickering  flame  of  religious  feeling  in  hearts  that  were 
nigh  to  despair.  The  Divine  element  herein  embodied  has 
given  proof,  millions  of  times  repeated,  of  its  reality  and  of  its 
efficacy,  as  a  formula  of  tranquil  trust  in  God,  and  of  grateful 
sense  of  His  goodness,  which  all,  who  do  trust  in  Him,  may 
use  for  themselves,  and  use  it  until  it  has  become  assimilated 
to  their  own  habitual  feelings. f 

The  Twenty-third  Psalm  is  literally  the  Christian  worshipper's 
Communion  Hymn.  Its  words  '  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  Thou 
art  with  me.  .  .  .  Thou  shalt  prepare  a  table  before  me  against 
them  that  trouble  me  .  .  .  my  cup  shall  be  full,'  set  them- 
selves to  '  the  full  sweet  peal  and  melody  that  he  hears  '  in  the 
Communion  Office,  and  from  an  Antiphon  which  fills  other 
Psalms  with  Eucharistic  references.]: 

'  This  is  the  Pearl  of  Psalms  whose  soft  and  pure  radiance 
delights  every  eye ;  a  pearl  of  which  Helicon  need  not  be 
ashamed,  though  Jordan  claims  it.  Of  this  delightful  song,  it 
may  be  affirmed  that  its  piety  and  its  poetry  are  equal,  its 
sweetness  and  its  spirituality  are  unsurpassed.  ...  It  has  been 
said  that  what  the  nightingale  is  among  birds,  that  is  this 
divine  ode  among  the   Psalms,  for  it  has  sung  sweetly  in  the 

*  Sinoers  of  the  Church,  by  Miller,  p.  61. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms^  by  Isaac  Taylor,  p.  29. 

X   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  249. 


io8  PSALM. MOSAICS 

ear  of  many  a  mourner  in  his  night  of  weeping,  and  has  bidden 
him  hope  for  a  morning  of  joy.  I  will  venture  to  compare  it 
also  to  the  lark,  which  sings  as  it  mounts,  and  mounts  as  it 
sings,  until  it  is  out  of  sight,  and  even  then  is  not  out  of 
hearing.'"^ 

Edwai'd  Irving^  the  saintly  founder  of  the  '  Catholic 
Apostolic  Church,'  had  the  words  of  this  Psalm  on  his  dying 
lips.  He  had  a  firm  behef  that  he  should  live  until  the 
coming  of  the  Lord,  and  that  the  Master  had  a  great  work  for 
him  to  do  in  founding  and  building  up  this  Church  of  a  new 
revelation,  hence  the  mental  struggle  in  his  last  hour.  '  He 
grew  delirious  in  those  solemn  evenings  and  "  wandered  "  in  his 
mind.  Such  wandering  !  So  long  as  his  articulation  continued 
so  distinct  that  we  could  make  anything  of  his  words  it  was  of 
spiritual  things  he  spoke,  praying  for  himself,  his  Church,  and 
his  relations.  .  .  .  Once  in  this  wonderful  monologue  he  was 
heard  murmuring  to  himself  sonorous  syllables  of  some  un- 
known tongue.  Listening  to  these  mysterious  sounds,  Dr. 
Martin '  (his  father-in-law)  '  found  them  to  be  Hebrew 
measures  of  the  tw^enty-third  Psalm  :  "  The  Lord  is  my 
Shepherd,''  into  the  latter  verses  of  which  the  dying  voice 
swelled  as  the  watcher  took  up  and  echoed  the  wonderful 
strain  :  "  Though  I  walk  through  the  shadow  of  death  1  zvill 
fear  no  eviW  As  the  current  of  life  grew  feebler  and  feebler,  a 
last  debate  seemed  to  rise  in  that  soul  which  was  now  hidden  with 
God.  They  heard  him  murmuring  to  himself  in  inarticulate 
argument,  confusedly  struggling  in  his  weakness  to  account 
for  this  visible  death,  which  at  length  his  human  faculties 
could  no  longer  refuse  to  believe— perhaps  touched  with  in- 
effable trouble,  that  His  Master  had  seemed  to  fail  of  His  word 
and  promise.  At  length  that  self-argument  came  to  a  sublime 
conclusion  in  a  trust  more  strong  than  life  or  death.  As  the 
gloomy  December  Sunday  sank  into  the  night  shadows,  his 
latest  audible  words  on  earth  fell  from  his  pale  lips.     The  last 

*  The  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  i.,  p.  398. 


PSALM  XXIII.  109 

thing  like  a  sentence  we  could  make  out  was,  "  If  I  die,  I  die 
unto  the  Lord.  Amen."  And  so,  at  the  last  wintry  midnight 
hour  which  ended  that  final  Sabbath  on  earth,  the  last  bonds 
of  mortal  anguish  dropped  asunder,  and  the  saint  and  martyr 
entered  into  the  rest  of  his  Lord.'* 

Whefi  the  Huguenots  assembled  on  Saturday  night  for  family 
prayer,  the  head  of  the  listening  household  used  to  read  this 
Psalm  in  cheerful  tones,  and  in  the  Memorial  of  Joseph  Sortain 
we  are  told  that  he  adopted  the  same  devout  practice.  When 
asked  by  guests,  who  happened  to  be  present,  why  he  always 
read  this  Psalm  on  Saturday  night,  he  would  reply,  '  It  was  a 
custom  of  Huguenot  families,  and  I  wish  to  gain  inspiration 
for  my  Sunday's  duties  by  the  associations  it  thus  calls  up.'t 

The  Psalms:  frae  Hebrew  in  til  Scottis,  by  P.  Hately 
Waddell,  LL.D.,  one  of  the  most  curious  illustrations  of  the 
Scottish  language  recently  published,  is  a  volume  little  known. 
Whosoever  is  able  to  read  this  will  find  all  the  rich  human, 
and  perhaps  even,  in  such  a  connection,  we  may  be  per- 
mitted to  say,  the  humorsome  characteristics  of  the  language. 
Take  two  or  three  instances.  Thus,  '  Touch  the  mountains, 
and  they  shall  smoke,'  is  literally  rendered,  'Tang  but  the 
heights,  an'  they'll  ruk  !'  and  '  He  delighteth  not  in  the  strength 
of  the  horse  ;  He  taketh  not  pleasure  in  the  legs  of  a  man,'  is 
rendered,  '  He  cares  nane  for  the  strenth  o'  the  aiver ;  likes 
as  little  the  shanks  o'  the  carl.'  But  our  readers  will  perhaps 
like  to  see  a  more  extended  illustration  ;  and  here,  then,  is  the 
twenty-third  Psalm,  and  we  think  it  will  be  scarcely  possible  to 
read  it  without  feeling  its  frequent  beauty,  and  literalness  of 
expression  : 

The  Lord  is  my  herd  ;  nae  want  sal  fa'  me. 
He  louts  me  till  lie  amang  green  howes  :  He  airts  me  atowye 
by  the  lown  waters. 

*  Life  of  Edward  Irving,  by  Mrs.  Oliphant,  p.  427- 
t  A  Song  of  Life  or  Death,     Meditations  on  Psalm  XXIII.,  by  G.  W. 
McCree,  p.  5. 


no  PSALM-MOSAICS 

He  waukens  my  \va-ga'en  saul ;  He  weises  me  roun,  for 
His  ain  name's  sake,  intil  right  roddins. 

Na  !  tho'  I  gang  thro'  the  dead-mirk  dail ;  een  thar  sal  I 
dread  nae  skaithin  ;  for  yersel  are  nar-by  me  ;  yer  stock  an' 
yer  stay  haud  me  baith  fu'  cheerie. 

My  buird  ye  hae  hansell'd  in  face  o'  my  faes  ;  ye  hae  drookit 
my  head  wi'  oyle  ;  my  bicker  is  fu'  an'  skailin. 

E'en  sae  sal  gude  guidin  an  gude  gree  gang  wi'  me,  ilk  day 
o'  my  livin  \  an  evir  mair  syne,  i'  the  Lord's  ain  howf,  at  lang 
last,  sal  I  mak  bydin. 

The  study  of  the  Scottish  dialect,  however  it  may  seem  to 
be  fading  from  use,  would  well  repay  the  student,  who  would 
find  his  language  enriched  by  some  fine  monosyllabic  words, 
and  graced  by  expressive  compound  epithets."^ 

Dr.  Duff,  the  great  Indian  Missionary,  found  comfort  in  this 
Psalm  as  he  lay  dying  (in  February,  1878).  His  daughter 
repeated  it  to  him,  and  he  responded  at  the  end  of  each  verse. 

Poor  desolate  and  afflicted  Heinrich  Heine,  who  had  been  a 

pantheist  and  scoffer,  alternately  or  combined,  was  laid  for 

years  on  what  he  called   his  mattress  sepulchre,  and  took  to 

reading  the  Bible,  especially  the  Psalms.     One  of  the  very 

last  of  his  poems,   addressed  to  his   wife,  to  whom  he  was 

devotedly  attached,  bears  traces  of  the  shepherd-song  of  God's 

flock,  and  if  it  wants  the  sparkle  and  point  of  his  early  genius^ 

it  is  redeemed  by  its  softened  tenderness.     It  begins  thus : 

'  My  arm  grows  weak  ;  Death  comes  apace, 
Death  pale  and  grim  ;  and  I  no  more 
Can  guard  my  lamb  as  heretofore. 
O  God  !  into  Thy  hands  I  render 
My  crook  ;  keep  Thou  my  lambkin  tender. 
When  I  in  peace  have  laid  me  down, 
Keep  Thou  my  lamb,  and  do  not  let 
A  single  thorn  her  bosom  fret, 
And  guide  where  pastures  green  and  sweet 
Refresh  the  wanderer's  weary  feet,  t 

Verse  i.   The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd. — Charles  Pettit  Mcllvaine, 

*  Scottish  Characteristics,  by  Paxton  Hood,  p.  163. 
t    The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  46. 


PSALM  XXIII.  Ill 

Bishop  of  Ohio— a  man  whose  hfe  was  full  of  the  one  aim  to- 
bring  souls  to  Christ,  and  of  whom  the  late  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  (Tait)  said,  '  Few  men  living  have  done  so  much  to 
draw  England  and  the  United  States  together' — was  a  man 
who  lived  as  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  as  a  result  his  end 
was  full  of  peace  and  joy.  '  He  seemed  indeed  to  be  always 
in  the  immediate  presence  of  his  Saviour,  and  never  once  did 
a  doubt  of  his  acceptance  overshadow  his  mind.  "  Blessed 
Lord  !"  he  said,  "  I  have  prayed  so  often  that  He  would  be- 
with  me  at  this  time,  and  He  will  be  ;  I  am  sure  of  it."  He 
then  alluded  to  the  ministry  of  angels,  a  very  favourite  subject 
with  him,  observing,  "  When  the  soul  is  out  of  its  tabernacle  the 
angels  will  convey  it  to  Jesus."  Soon  after  he  begged  his  love 
to  be  sent  to  Bishop  Bedell  (Assistant  Bishop  of  Ohio)  and 
Bishop  Lee  (of  Delaware).  After  an  interval,  during  which  he 
seemed  to  be  meditating,  he  remarked  :  "  I  don't  see  any  cause 
for  care  or  apprehension ;  I  know  I  am  dying,  but  I  have  no 
care — The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd ;  He  lifts  up  the  Light  of  His 
countenance  upon  me— I  wish  to  be  in  His  hands,  and  He 
will  do  with  me  what  He  pleases — I  have  no  will  but  His — Oh, 
what  a  gracious  tender  Saviour  He  is  !" '  The  good  Bishop 
died  soon  after,  '  but  so  quiet  and  gentle  was  the  end,  that  we 
could  not  precisely  say  when  the  blessed  spirit  departed.  It 
was  indeed  a  literal  falling  asleep  in  Jesus.'"^ 

Verse  3.  A?id  lead  me  forth  beside  the  waters  of  comfort. — At 
the  summit  of  the  Pulney  Hills,  in  Southern  India,  may  be 
seen  the  grave  of  one  who  lost  his  life  in  the  midst  of  an  over- 
whelming flood  on  the  plain  below.  The  memorial  stone  by 
that  quiet  grave  bears  this  inscription  :  '  David  Coit  Scudder. 
He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters.^ \ 

Verse  4.  Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  Thou  art  with  7ne  ;  Thy  rod  a?id 
Thy  staff  comfo7't  me. — St.  Francis  of  Assisi  joined  the  Christians 

*  Memorials  of  Bishop  Mcllvame,  by  Rev.  Canon  Carus,  p.  352. 
t   The  Biblical  Aluseuniy  vol.  vi. ,  p.  56. 


112  PSALM -MOSAICS 

under  the  walls  of  Damietta.  The  Sultan  had  offered  a  reward 
of  gold  to  whoever  should  bring  him  the  head  of  one  of  the 
invaders,  and  seized  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  age,  St.  Francis, 
at  the  peril  of  his  life,  took  the  first  step  in  his  Mission,  by 
marching  to  the  enemy's  camp,  singing  the  fourth  verse  of  this 
Psalm.  '  He  undertook  the  adventure,'  says  Bonaventura,  'not 
terrified  by  the  fear,  but  rather  excited  by  the  desire  of  death.' 
He  set  out  with  Brother  Illuminato,  after  prayer  to  God,  sing- 
ing that  tenderest  of  all  consolatory  Psalms  which  recalls  the 
green  pastures  and  still  waters,  rather  than  the  deadly  presence 
of  peril.  '  Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death  I  will  fear  ?io  evil,'  they  sang,  as  they  set  out  to  cross  the 
dangerous  passage ;  their  hearts  inspired — '  drunken,'  as  says 
the  history — with  the  Spirit  of  God  and  the  hope  of  martyr- 
dom. The  Sultan  was  so  touched  by  the  Missionary's  fear- 
lessness in  thus  venturing  into  the  enemy's  camp,  that  he  sent 
him  back  unharmed,  and  with  these  words  on  his  lips  :  '  Pray 
for  me,'  he  said,  '  that  God  may  reveal  to  me  that  law  and 
faith  which  are  according  to  His  own  heart.'* 

This  verse  occurs  in  the  Journals  of  Henry  Alartyn,  the 
great  Indian  Missionary,  of  whom  even  the  Persian  Mollahs 
used  to  say :  '  Henry  Martyn  was  never  beaten  in  an  argument ; 
he  was  a  good  man,  a  man  of  God.'  On  this  verse  Martyn 
makes  the  following  comment :  '  When  do  the  sheep  find  the 
happiness  of  having  a  shepherd  so  much  as  when  they  are 
walking  through  a  dark  shadow?  While  Jesus  lets  me  see  His 
rod  and  staff,  I  am  comforted. 't 

We  have  already  noted  that  this  Psalm  is  used  in  the  Eastern 
Church  at  the  Burial  of  Priests,  and  this  verse  tells  us  the 
reason,  '  and  see  how  beautifully  the  w^hole  corresponds  to  it ! 
The  grave,  the  fold,  in  which  the  Lord's  sheep  are  penned 
safely  till  the  morning  of  the  Resurrection  And  the  Shepherd 
Himself  had  tasted  of  the  same  trials  which  He  permits  His 

*  Life  of  St.  Frauds  of  Assist,  by  Mrs.  Oliphant,  p.  167. 
t  Lamps  of  the  Churchy  by  the  Rev.  H.  Clissold,  p.  2)'}^. 


PSALM  XXIII.  113 

sheep  to  know.  The  green  pasture  will  be,  as  ancient  Liturgies 
so  often  make  it,  the  state  of  blessed  souls  that  have  departed 
out  of  this  world,  but  have  not  yet  been  admitted  to  the 
Beatific  Vision.  '  They  have  departed,'  says  James  of  Edessa, 
in  his  Liturgy,  with  true  '  hope  and  the  confidence  of  the  faith 
which  is  in  Thee,  from  this  world  of  straits,  from  this  life  of 
misery,  to  Thee.  Remember  them  and  receive  them,  and 
cause  them  to  rest  in  the  bosom  of  Abraham,  in  tabernacles  of 
light  and  rest,  in  shining  dwelHng-places,  in  a  world  of  pleasures, 
in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  where  there  is  no  place  for  sorrow  or 
for  war.'  Then  the  '  convert  my  soul '  must  be  taken  of  that 
final  conversion  when  sin  shall  be  destroyed  for  ever,  as  it  is 
written,  '  He  that  is  dead  is  freed  from  sin.'  '  The  paths  of 
righteousness,'  what  are  they  but  those  streets  of  gold,  of  which 
it  is  written,  '  The  nations  of  them  which  are  saved  shall  walk 
in  it '?  '  The  table  will  be  at  the  eternal  wedding  feast :  and 
then  how  does  the  "  all  the  days  of  my  life,"  and  "  I  will  dwell 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever,"  rivet  the  Psalm,  as  it  were, 
to  this,  as  its  natural  meaning  \'* 

The  valley  of  the  shadoiv  of  death. — Those  who  have  walked 
through  the  Pass  of  Glencoe,  or  looked  down  into  the  Black 
Valley  (near  the  Gap  of  Dunloe),  on  a  gloomy  day,  will  readily 
understand  the  appropriateness  of  this  figure.  In  '  Ispahan, 
we  are  told,  is  a  valley  inconceivably  dreary,  desolate,  waterless, 
called  the  Valley  of  the  Angel  of  Death. 't 

Some  of  the  words  uttered  by  Archbishop  Laud,  on  the 
scaffold,  illustrate  '  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.'  '  Lord, 
I  am  coming  as  fast  as  I  can.  I  know  I  must  pass  through  the 
shadow  of  death  before  I  can  come  to  see  Thee.  But  it  is  but 
U77ibra  mortis.,  a  shadow  of  death,  a  little  darkness  upon 
nature  :  but  Thou,  Lord,  by  Thy  goodness,  hast  broken  the 
jaws  and  the  power  of  death.' 

Verses  4,   5.    Yea,  though  I  ivalk  through  the  valley  of  the 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Conwientary,  vol.  i.,  pp.  319,  320. 
t  Companion  to  the  Psalter,  p.  59. 

8 


14 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


shadow  of  deaths  I  will  fear  7to  evil.  .  .  .   Thou  shall  prepare  a 
table  before  me  against  them  that  trouble  me  : 

'  If  Thou  wiliest,  feed  me, 

Strengthen  ere  1  go  ; 
In  that  unknown  pathway 

Lighten  every  woe  ; 
Jesu,  as  Thou  knowest 

Grant  me  so  to  know. 

'  That  an  hour  of  weakness — 
That  a  time  of  fear — 
Come,  Thou  Bread  of  Heaven, 

Sacrament  so  dear  ; 
All  I  loved  may  vanish 
If  but  Thou  be  near.' 

Frederick  George  Lee. 

Verse  6.  But  Thy  lovingkindness  and  mercy  shall  folloiv  me 
all  the  days  of  my  life. — The  following  is  an  illustration  of  wha 
the  feelings  of  a  good  man  should  be  in  the  hour  of  bitterness. 
Richard  Cameron  was  executed  for  his  religious  opinions  on 
July  2oth,  i68o.  His  father  was  in  prison  for  conscience' sake. 
The  bleeding  head  of  the  martyr  son  was  brought  to  the  father 
by  his  unfeeling  persecutors,  and  he  was  asked  derisively  if  he 
knew  it.  '  I  know  it,  I  know  it,'  said  the  father  as  he  kissed 
the  mangled  forehead  of  his  fair-haired  son ;  '  it  is  my  son's, 
my  dear  son's !  It  is  the  Lord  !  Good  is  the  will  of  the 
Lord,  who  cannot  wrong  me  or  mine,  but  who  hath  mdi6.Q good- 
ness and  mercy  to  follow  us  all  our  days.'"^ 

And  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever. — It  is 
fitting  to  close  our  remarks  on  this  Psalm  by  quoting  a  verse  of 
the  sequence  Supernce  matris  gaudia,  also  noting  the  beautiful 
words  of  Dr.  Neale  at  this  place.  '  Here,'  he  says,  '  we  have 
the  heavenly  home-sickness  ;  St.  Paul's  desire  to  depart  and  to 
be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better ;  the  change  of  the  light  of 
grace,  here  often  clouded  and  obscure,  for  the  light  of  glory 
that  can  never  be  darkened,  that  can  never  fade  away,  that 
grows  brighter  and  more  perfect  to  ages  of  ages.' 

*   The  A'ight  of  IVeeping,  by  Horatius  Bonar. 


PSALM  XXIV.  ',15 

'  Unto  the  glory  of  the  Saints, 
And  through  the  prayers  for  us  they  pray 
After  earth's  sorrows  and  complaints, 
Christ  bring  us  of  His  grace  for  aye  !' 


PSALM  XXIV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Preparation  for  the  reception  of  the. 
Lord  who  is  about  to  come. 

Title  (Spurgeon).  The  song  of  the  Ascension. 

Contefits  (Syriac).— xA  Psalm  of  David— Concerning  the  first 
■day,  when  God  began  the  work  of  Creation. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  grand  choral  hymn  was  in  all 
probability  composed  and  sung  on  the  occasion  of  the  removal 
of  the  Ark  from  the  house  of  Obed  Edom  to  the  city  of  David, 
on  Mount  Zion  (2  Sam.  vi.).  ...  It  seems  quite  evident  that 
the  Psalm  was  intended  to  be  sung  in  antiphonal  measure, 
voice  answering  voice,  and  chorus  to  chorus.  Seven  choirs  of 
singers  and  musicians,  so  Josephus  tells  us,  preceded  the  Book 
•on  this  occasion,  as  the  king  commanded,  he  himself  playing 
upon  the  harp,  and  dancing  before  Jehovah  in  his  might. 

In  Church. — In  the  Jewish  Church  this  Psalm  is  recited  in 
the  Synagogue,  at  the  carrying  back  of  the  volume  of  the 
Law,  the  written  Word  of  God,  into  its  shrine;  it  is  also  a 
■constant  Psalm  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  in  the  Temple 
Service  throughout  the  year. 

According  to  the  Roman  use,  it  is  appointed  as  a  Psalm  in 
the  Thanksgiving  of  Women  after  Childbirth,  and  in  the  Burial 
of  Children. 

In  the  Holy  Eastern  Church  it  is  used  at  the  Burial  of 
Priests,  and  also  at  the  burial  of  the  Laity,  when  earth  is  cast 
on  the  coffin.  It  is  also  used  in  the  Graeco-Russian  Church, 
at  the  Consecration  of  a  Church.  At  a  certain  part  of  the 
service  all  march  round  the  Church  in  procession.  When  they 
get  round  to  the  West  door  they  stop  in  the  entrance,  with 


Ii6  PSALM-MOSAICS 

their  faces  towards  the  door,  which  is  shut.  Half  of  the  choir 
have  remained  inside,  and  are  stationed  near  the  door. 

Ifig/i  Priest. — '  Blessed  be  Christ  our  God,  always,  now, 
henceforth,  and  for  ever  !' 

Choir  (inside  the  Church). — '  Amen  !' 

High  Priest. — '  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates  !  and  be  ye 
lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors  !  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come 
in.' 

Choir  (in  the  Church). — '  Who  is  the  King  of  Glory  ?' 

(These  quotations  from  the  24th  Psalm  are  repeated  twice.) 

Deaco7i. — 'Let  us  pray  to  the  Lord  !' 

All  the  Choristers. — '  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  us  !' 

Then  the  High  Priest  reads,  still  in  the  entrance,  a  long  and 
beautiful  prayer,  which  is  succeeded  by  a  shorter  one,  called 
the  Entrance  Prayer. 

High  Priest. — 'The  Lord  of  Hosts,  He  is  the  King  of 
glory  !' 

Choir  (in  the  Church). — '  The  Lord  of  Hosts,  He  is  the 
King  of  glory  !'  (also  repeated  three  times). 

The  door  is  then  opened,  and  the  procession  enters  and 
proceeds  to  the  altar  through  the  royal  gates. "^ 

By  the  Church  of  England  it  is  appointed  the  fourth  of  the 
Proper  Psalms  for  the  Festival  of  the  Ascension. 

This  Psalm  is  inscribed  in  the  Septuagint  and  the  Vulgate  as 
a  Psalm  for  the  first  day  of  the  week^  and  was  so  used  in  the 
Hebrew  Ritual,  and  it  is  very  suitable  for  \\\q  first  day,  the  day 
on  which  the  light  of  Creation,  of  Redemption,  and  of  Sancti- 
fication  dawned  on  the  world.  Accordingly  it  is  appointed  in 
the  Sarum  and  Roman  use  for  Trinity  Sunday,  f 

Verse  i.  The  earth  is  the  Lord's  aiid  the  fulness  thereof — 
Pride  of  ownership,  of  course,  accounts  for  most  of  the 
numerous  initials  and  heraldic  carving.  Real  piety  probably 
was  the  cause  of  the  profuse  use  of  biblical  texts,  as  when 

*  Grj;co- Russian  Churchy  pp.  92,  93. 
t  Wordsworth's  Commentary^  p,  33. 


PSALM  XXIV.  117 

Sir  Thomas  Gresham  inscribed  upon  his  Exchange,  *  T/ie  earth 
is  the  Lord's^  a?id  the  fulness  thereof.^* 

St.  Chrysostom  comforted  himself  in  his  exile  with  the  words  of 
the  Psalms,  writing  thus  :  '  When  driven  from  the  city,  I  cared 
nothing  for  it.  But  I  said  to  myself,  "  If  the  Empress  wishes 
to  banish  me,  let  her  banish  me ;  '  The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and 
the  fulness  thereof P'''  And  again,  "David  clothes  me  with 
armour,  saying  :  '  I  will  speak  of  Thy  testimonies  before  kings, 
and  will  not  be  ashamed.' "  'f 

The  earth  is  the  Lord's.,  and  the  fulness  thereof  and  all  that 
dwell  therein. — Deir  Sambir  is  about  one  and  a  half  hours  east 
of  Dell  Louzeh,  and  contains  a  Church  of  which  three  west 
doors  remain.  Here  we  observed  a  handsome  tomb  well  pre- 
served, with  the  following  inscription  running  round  a  semi- 
circular arch  :  '  The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof 
and  all  that  dwell  therein +  6/^-^.'  .  .  .  Another  remark  of  some 
interest  occurs  in  connection  with  this  epitaph ;  this  opening 
verse  of  the  24th  Psalm  is  the  Stichos  peculiar  to  the  Burial 
Service  of  a  priest  in  the  Greek  Church,  introduced  near  the 
beginning  of  the  office.  | 

Verse  2.  ^ For  ILe  hath  founded  it  upon  the  seas' — It  may  be 
mentioned  as  a  curiosity  of  Romish  interpretation,  that  the 
Vulgate  'super  maria,'  'upon  the  seas,'  was  converted  into 
*  super  Maria,'  'upon  (the  Virgin)  Mary.'§ 

Verse  6.  This  is  the  generation  of  them  that  seek  Him :  even 
of  them  that  seek  Thy  face,  O  Jacob : 

'  The  seekers  of  Thy  glorious  face, 
Thy  chosen  Israel. '|| 

Verse  9.  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lift  up^ 
ve   everlast'mg  doors,   and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. — 

*  Quivei^,  June,  1883,  p.  491. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  38. 
X  'Nea.le's  Holy  Eastern  Church:  Patriarchate  of  Antioch,  Introduction, 
xxxix. 

§   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  248. 
11  Keble. 


iiS  PSALM-MOSAICS 

I  must  not  refrain  from  noticing  the  use  made  of  this  verse  by 
our  own  poet,  in  his  description  of  the  Son  of  God,  first  going 
forth  to  Creation,  and  again  returning  from  the  completion 
of  his  work  : 

*  Heaven  opened  wide 
Her  ever-during  gates,  harmonious  sound, 
On  golden  hinges  moving,  to  let  forth 
The  King  of  Glory,  in  His  powerful  word 
And  Spirit,  coming  to  create  new  worlds.' 

And  on  His  return  : 

'  Up  He  rode 
Followed  with  acclamation,  and  the  sound, 
Symphonious  of  ten  thousand  harps,  that  tuned 
Angelic  harmonies. 

Open,  ye  everlasting  gates  !  they  sing. 
Open,  ye  Heavens  !  your  living  doors  ;  let  in 
The  great  Creator  from  His  work  returned 
Magnificent  ;  His  six  days'  work,  a  world.' 

'To  sing 
The  glorious  train  ascending.     He  through  Heaven 
That  opened  wide  her  blazing  portals,  led 
To  God's  eternal  house  direct  the  way.' 

Paradise  Lost,  vii.* 


PSALM  XXV. 

Headi7ig  (Delitzsch).  — Prayer  for  gracious  protection  and 
guidance. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Instruction  in  the 
duty  of  thanksgiving. 

Origin  (Perowne). — '  This  is  an  acrostic  or  alphabetical 
Psalm,  the  first  verse  beginning  with  the  first  letter  of  the 
Hebrew  alphabet,  and  the  other  letters  following  in  order  at 
the  beginning  of  each  successive  verse.  The  order  indeed  is 
not  perfectly  observed.  .  .  .  We  have  no  means  of  fixing  what 
the  time  was '  (at  which  the  Psalm  was  written) ;  '  but  they ' 
(z>.,  this  and  the  thirty-fourth  Psalm,  between  which  there  are 
peculiarities  of  alphabetical  arrangement)  '  probably  belong  to 

*   The  Book  of  Psahns,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  So. 


PSALM  XXV.  119 

the  later  period  of  the  history— perhaps   to  the  time  of  the 
exile.' 

Jn  Church.— In  the  Holy  Eastern  Church  the  Psalm  is  used 
at  the  Burial  of  the  Laity.  Prokeimenon  of  the  Epistle,  Psalm 
XXV.  I  ;  it  is  also  the  fourth  Psalm  in  the  Greek  late  Even- 
song. In  the  Lutheran  Service  it  is  used  in  the  Service  for 
the  Sick  and  Dying. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Some  of  the  most  precious  spiritual 
treasures  have  been  drawn  from  this  Alphabetical  Psalm. 
Thus,  verse  6  (reminiscere  miserationem  eum  tuarum)  gave 
name  to  'Reminiscere  Sunday,' the  2nd  Sunday  in  Lent; 
verse  1 2  (oculi  mei  semper  ad  Dominum)  to  '  Ocuh  Sunday,' 
third  Sunday  in  Lent ;  Luther  put  this  Psalm  into  his  office 
for  the  Dying,  to  be  used  after  the  receiving  of  the  Holy 
Communion ;  and  Selnecker's  beautiful  hymn  for  the  Dying, 
'  Allein  nach  dir,  Herr  Jesu  Christ,'  grew  out  of  verse  i."*^ 

Lord  Strafford  on  the  scaffold,  after  speaking  to  the  people, 
turned  to  those  on  the  scaffold,  and  said  :  '  Gentlemen,  I 
would  say  my  prayers,  and  I  entreat  you  all  to  pray  with  me 
and  for  me.'  Then  his  chaplain.  Dr.  Carr,  laid  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  upon  the  chair  before  him  as  he  kneeled 
down,  on  which  he  prayed  almost  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and 
repeated  the  twe^ity-fifth  Psahn  ;  then  he  prayed  as  long  or 
longer  without  a  book,  and  ended  with  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
Then,  standing  up,  he  spied  his  brother.  Sir  George  Wentworth, 
and  called  to  him,  and  after  giving  his  last  request  said  :  '  I 
have  done  ;  one  stroke  will  make  my  wife  husbandless,  my 
dear  children  fatherless,  and  my  poor  servant  masterless,  and 
separate  me  from  my  dear  brother  and  all  my  friends ;  but 
let  God  be  to  you  and  them  all  in  all.'t 

The  first  of  the  Alphabetic  Psalms  ;  that  is,  of  those  in  which 
each  verse,  or  each  clause,  commences  consecutively  with  a 
letter  of  the  Hebrew  Alphabet.     The  others  are  the  34th,  the 

*  Kay  on  The  Psalms,  p.  81. 

t   Mozley's  Essays,  vol,  i.,  p.  102  :  Lord  Strafford. 


1 20  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

37th,  the  I  nth,  the  112th,  the  119th,  and  the  145th.  Besides 
these,  the  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah  are  written  on  the  same 
system,  and  the  31st  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs.  Some 
of  the  Psalms,  of  which  this  is  one,  are  not  absolutely  perfect 
in  the  acrostic  arrangement.  It  is  a  more  ingenious  than 
likely  suggestion  of  Cassiodorus,  that  those  in  which  the 
acrostic  is  maintained  without  a  flaw  are  intended  to  describe 
the  state  of  the  perfect ;  the  Psalms  in  which  it  is  not  unbroken, 
of  those  who  are  only  striving  after  perfection.  Probably  from 
these  Psalms  arose  the  A  B  C-darian  hymns  of  the  Latin,  and 
Canons  of  the  Eastern  Church.* 

Verse  i.  Unfo  T/iee,  0  Lord,  lu ill  I  lift  up  my  soul ;  viy  God, 
I  have  put  my  trust  in  Thee. — St.  Louis  at  his  coronation 
uttered  these  words. 

My  God,  I  have  put  my  trust  in  Thee. — It  is  a  curious 
example  of  the  way  in  which  Gerhohus  presses  the  verse,  on 
which  he  is  commenting,  to  apply  to  the  religious  state  of  the 
time,  when  we  find  him  thus  writing  on  this  first  verse  :  '  My 
God,  I  have  put  my  trust  i?i  Thee  :  I  trust  not  in  the  traditions 
of  the  Pharisee  ;  I  trust  not  in  idols  ;  I  trust  not  in  the  sects 
of  heresies  ;  I  trust  not  in  the  ifiterdicted  masses  of  Simoniacs.\ 

My  God,  I  have  put  my  trust  in  Thee  ;  O  let  me  not  be  con- 
founded.— Charles  Kingsley  wrote  in  1857,  to  Mr.  Maurice: 
'  I  can  think  of  nothing  but  these  Indian  massacres.  The 
moral  problems  they  involve  make  me  half  wild.  .  .  .  What 
does  it  all  mean  ?  Christ  is  King,  nevertheless  !  I  tell  my 
people  so.  I  should  do — I  dare  not  think  what — if  I  did 
not  believe  so.  But  I  want  sorely  someone  to  tell  me  that  he 
believes  it  too.  Do  write  to  me  and  give  me  a  clue  out  of  this 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  .  .   .' 

'  My  experience  is,  that  when  they  come '  (doubts  concern- 
ing God's  rule,  etc.),  '  one  must  face  them,  do  battle  with  them 
deliberately,  be  patient  if  they  worst  one  for  awhile.     For,  by 

*  Dr.  Neale's  CoDwicntaiy,  vol.  i.,  p.  339. 
t  Ibid. 


PSALM  XXV.  121 

all  such  things  men  live,  in  these  is  the  life  of  the  spirit.  Only 
by  going  down  into  hell  can  one  rise  again  the  third  day.  .  .  . 
I  never  have  looked  hell  so  close  in  the  face  as  I  have  been 
doing  of  late.  Wherefore,  I  hope  thereby  to  get  fresh  power 
to  rise,  and  to  lift  others  heavenward.  But  the  power  has  not 
come  yet.  .  .  .  And  I  can  only  cry,  "  O  Zord,  in  Thee  have  I 
trusted^  let  me  never  be  confounded.  Wherefore  should  the 
wicked  say,  where  is  now  his  God  ?"  But  while  I  write  now, 
and  while  I  fret  most,  there  comes  to  me  an  inner  voice, 
saying  :  "  What  matter  if  thou  art  confounded,  God  is  not. 
Only  believe  firmly  that  God  is  at  least  as  good  as  thou,  with 
thy  '^finite  reason,'  canst  conceive ;  and  He  will  make  thee  at 
last  able  to  conceive  how  good  He  is,  and  thou  shalt  have  the 
one  perfect  blessing  of  seeing  God."  You  will  say  I  am  incon- 
sistent. So  I  am;  and  so,  if  read  honestly,  are  David's 
Psalms.  Yet  that  very  inconsistency  is  what  brings  them 
home  to  every  human  heart  for  ever.  The  words  of  a  man  in 
real  doubt  and  real  darkness,  crying  for  light,  and  not  crying 
in  vain.     As  I  trust  I  shall  not.     God  bless  you.'"^ 

Verse  4.  Lead  me  forth  in  Thy  truths  a7id  learn  me. — 
Learn  =  to  teach. 

'  You  must  not  learn  me  how  to  remember  any  extraordinary 
pleasure.' — As  You  Like  It,  Act  L,  Sc.  ii.f 

Verse  9.  All  the  paths  of  the  Lord  are  mercy  and  truth. — 
When  thought  to  be  dying,  during  his  Provostship  at  Annecy, 
St.  Francis  of  Sales  said,  as  he  resigned  himself  to  death,  '  All 
the  paths  of  the  Lord  are  mercy  and  truth. ^ 

Verse  10.  For  Thy  Name's  sake,  O  Lord,  be  merciful  ujito 
my  sin,  for  it  is  great. — Charles  de  Condren,  the  successor  to 
Cardinal  de  Berulle,  as  General  of  the  Oratorians — and  of 
whom  de  Berulle  used  to  remark  that,  *  while  the  Congregation 
obeyed  its  General,  that  General  obeyed  Pere  de  Condren  ' 

*  Charles  Kingsley  s  Life,  vol.  ii.,  p.  61. 
t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  36. 


122  PSALM-MOSAICS 

— lay  dying.  '  Pray  that  God  will  this  day  convert  the  greatest 
of  sinners  !'  he  said  of  himself  to  the  Father  who  was  minister- 
ing to  him.  After  receiving  Extreme  Unction,  he  gave  his  last 
blessing  to  the  assembled  community :  '  Veni  Domine  Jesu, 
et  vive  in  his  famulis  Tuis  in  plenitudine  virtutis  Tuse  et 
dominare  adversae  potestati,  qui  vivis  et  regnas  in  seculi 
seculorum.' 

He  was  constantly  making  acts  of  contrition  and  hope, 
through  the  pains  of  death,  which  were  severe.  '  Manus 
Domini  tetigit  me !'  (The  Hand  of  God  hath  touched  me,' 
Job  xix.  2i)  he  exclaimed  shortly  before  the  last.  Just  at  the 
end,  when  sorely  overwhelmed  with  a  bitterness  which  those 
around  likened  to  our  Lord's  last  Agony  on  the  Cross,  he 
cried  out  :  '  Domme  propitiaberis  peccato  vieo^  multum  est 
enim  P  (Psalm  xxv.  lo,  'For  Thy  Name's  sake.  Lord,  be 
merciful  unto  my  sin,  for  it  is  great ').  Pere  de  Saint  Pe,  who 
stood  by,  said  :  '  Father,  give  yourself  up  to  God.'  Whereupon 
with  a  clear  strong  voice  the  dying  man  replied  :  '  My  God,  I 
commit  my  soul  into  Thy  Hands  !'  and  so  saying  he  expired, 
January  7,  1641.* 

Verse  15.  Turn  Thee  imto  ??ie,  and  have  mercy  Jipon  me :  for 
I  am  desolate  aiid  in  misery. 

'  The  priest  beheld,  and  passed 

The  way  he  had  to  go  ; 
A  careless  eye  the  Levite  cast, 

And  left  me  to  my  woe  ; 
But  Thou,  O  good,  O  loving  One,  draw  nigh  ; 
Have  pity  on  me  !  say,  "  Thou  shalt  not  die  !"  't 


PSALM  XXVI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The   Longing  of  one  who  is  perse- 
cuted innocently,  to  give  thanks  to  God  in  His  house. 

Cofttents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of   David — When  his    friends 

*  Priestly  Life  in  FraJtce,  p.  281. 

t  IViodion,  the  Great  Penitential  Canon. 


PSALM  XXVI.  123 

turned  away  from  him  in  his  flight.  As  regards  ourselves,  the 
supph cation  of  the  man  that  progresseth  in  virtue  before 
God. 

Origin  (Perowne).— The  Psalm  furnishes  no  direct  evidence 
as  to  its  date,  but  it  may  have  been  composed  during  Absa- 
lom's rebellion.  His  partisans  may  especially  be  hinted  at  in 
the  '  vain  men '  and  '  dissemblers  '  of  verse  4,  who  had  only 
recently  been  unmasked ;  for  Absalom,  it  is  said,  '  had  stolen 
the  hearts  of  the  men  of  Israel.' 

//z  C/iurc/i.—ln  the  Roman  Catholic,  at  the  Eucharist, 
Lavabo,  verse  6-12. 

T/ie  Whole  Fsalm.—Y^hQn  Pius  VII.  received  Napoleon's 
notice  of  his  deposition,  he  knelt  down  and  recited  the  Psalm 
'  Judica  me,  Domine.' 

Verse  5.  /  have  hated  the  migregation  of  the  wicked,  and 
will  not  sit  among  the  ungodly.— ^-^  the  Council  of  Carthage, 
A.D.  411,  the  Catholic  Bishops,  to  the  number  of  286,  met  the 
Donatists— their  Bishops  amounting  to  278— to  arrange  matters, 
and,  if  possible,  to  heal  the  schism  which  was  then  dividing  the 
Church.  The  Donatists  evidently  entered  into  the  Conference 
with  the  greatest  reluctance,  and  when  Marcellinus,  the 
imperial  Commissary,  desired  them  to  sit  down,  Retilian, 
Bishop  of  Cirta,  their  leader,  produced  scriptural  authority  for 
refusing,  viz.,  the  words  of  the  Psalmist.  St.  Augustine  replied 
that  to  be  consistent  they  should  not  have  come  at  all,  smce 
the  same  verse  also  said,  '  I  have  hated  the  congregation  of  evil 
doers.^ 

Verse  6.  I  will  ivash  my  hands  in  innocency .—OnQ  mornmg, 
as  Gotthold  was  pouring  water  into  a  basin,  he  recollected  the 
words  of  Scripture,  '/  will  wash  my  hands  in  innocency;  a 
text  which  shows  how  diligently  the  royal  prophet  had 
endeavoured  to  lead  a  blameless  life,  and  walk  habitually  m 
the  fear  of  God.  Upon  this  he  mused,  and  said,  '  Henceforth, 
my  God,  every  time  I  pour  out  water  to  wash  with,  I  will  call 


124  PSALM-MOSAICS 

to  mind  that  it  is  my  duty  to  cleanse  my  hands  from  wicked 
actions,  my  mouth  from  wicked  words,  and  my  heart  from 
wicked  lusts  and  desires,  that  so  I  may  be  enabled  to  lift 
holy  hands  unto  Thee,  and  with  unspotted  lips  and  heart 
worship  Thee,  to  the  best  of  my  ability.'"^ 

I  will  wash  7ny  hands  in  innocency^  O  Lord ;  and  so  will  I  go 
to  Thine  altar. — '  Be  it  not  supposed,'  says  St.  Cyril  of  Jeru- 
salem, in  the  5th  Book  of  his  teaching,  '  that  this '  (the  lavabo 
at  the  Holy  Eucharist)  '  is  done  to  cleanse  the  body  from  out- 
ward impurities,  for  we  never  enter  a  Church  in  a  dirty  state  of 
body.  It  signifies  that  our  souls  must  be  purified  from  all  sins 
and  wickedness.  For  as  their  hands  are  the  instruments  of 
action,  the  washing  of  them  shows  the  purity  and  undefiledness 
of  our  desires.  Hast  thou  never  heard  the  words  of  David, 
who  says,  '  /  will  wash  my  hands  in  innocency^  and  so  will  I  go 
to  Thy  altar,  O  Lord '  .?t 

Verse  8.  Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  Thy  house,  and 
the  place  where  Thine  honour  dwelleth. — St.  Paula,  when  dying, 
exclaimed,  '  Lord,  L  have  loved  the  habitation  of  TJmie  house, 
and  the  place  where  Thine  hoiiour  dwelletJi.  O  hoiu  amiable  are 
Thy  divellings,  Thou  Lord  of  Hosts  P 

Catheri?ie  Taifs  last  hours  are  full  of  pathos  and  rest ;  she 
was  ever  a  lover  of  God's  House.  Can  we  do  better  than 
describe  her  last  moments  in  the  words  of  the  Archbishop  ? 
'  We  were  now  in  great  alarm  of  some  sudden  termination,  or 
of  unconsciousness  coming  on,  and  it  would  have  left  a  sad 
memory  if  she  had  departed  without  that  solemn  rite,  through 
which  her  soul  had  always  rejoiced  to  hold  communion  with 
her  Saviour.  But  still,  for  several  hours,  she  was  entirely  her- 
self. I  administered  the  Holy  Communion  to  her,  to  her 
daughter,  and  to  the  physician. 

'  She  joined  in  all,  so  far  as  her  impeded  speech  would  allow. 
I  said  to  her  the  Nuiic  Dimittis,  and  she  repeated  it  with  me. 

*  Christian  Scriver  (1629- 1693)  in  Gotthold's  Emblems. 
t  Grceco- Russian  Clmrchy  p.  401. 


PSALM  XXVII.  125 

I  said  to  her,  "  O  Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  Thi?ie 
house^^  and  she  added,  "■  And  the  place  where  Thine  honour 
dwelleth.''  I  tried  to  go  through  the  hymn,  "Jesus,  Lover  of 
my  soul,"  and  when  I  faltered  she  supplied  the  missing  words. 
Then,  after  a  time  of  rest,  as  of  old,  on  all  Sundays — in  the 
Deanery,  at  Fulham  and  London  House,  at  Lambeth  and  at 
Addington — her  daughter  sang  to  her  some  favourite  hymns : 
"  Lo  !  He  comes  with  clouds  descending"  and  "  Lead,  Kindly 
Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom."  When  they  had  finished, 
I  repeated  to  her  again  the  last  lines,  inscribed  by  her  desire 
on  the  frame  of  Grispini's  picture  of  the  children  who  left  her 
at  Carlisle  : 

'  "  And  with  the  mom  those  angel  faces  smile, 

Which  I  have  loved  long  since,  and  lost  awhile." 

"Yes,  yes,"  she  repeated;  and  either  then  or  a  few  minutes 
before  she  spoke  of  those  of  us  who  had  gone  before,  stretch- 
ing out  their  hands  to  welcome  her.  The  physician  wished 
her  again  to  rest.  Soon  she  became  unconscious,  and  about 
ten  o'clock,  after  I  offered  up  the  Commendatory  Prayer,  her 
breathing  ceased  with  a  gentle  sigh,  and  she  was  gone.'"^ 

Verse  11.  But  as  for  me,  I  will  walk  innocently. — 'In  inno- 
tentia  mea  ingressus  sum '  was  the  motto  of  Pope  Inno- 
cent VIII. 

PSALM  XXVII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Taking  heart  in  God,  the  All-Recom- 
pensing One. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — On  account  of  the 
infirmity  that  fell  upon  him. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm,  like  the  last  and  the  one 
which  follows,  may  very  probably  be  referred  to  the  time  of 
Absalom's  rebellion. 

*  Catherine  and  Crauford  Tail,  p.  194. 


126  PSALM-MOSAICS 

In  Church.— ThQ  Orthodox  Church  of  the  East.  The 
anointing  with  Chrism  after  Baptism.  The  Priest  begins  with 
prayer,  and  then  makes  the  sign  of  the  cross  with  the  feathers 
dipped  in  a  tiny  bottle  of  holy  oil,  on  the  brow,  eyes,  nostrils, 
ears,  lips,  breast,  hands  and  feet,  each  time  with  the  words, 
'  The  Seal  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'  The  Priest,  followed 
by  the  sponsors,  still  holding  the  child,  now  walks  round  the 
font,  chanting  with  the  Deacon  and  Reader,  '  As  many  of  us 
as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ 
(Gal.  iii.  27) — Hallelujah!'  The  god-mother  or  god-father 
having  taken  the  child,  they  again  walk  round  the  font  with  the 
same  words  ;  the  third  time,  if  there  be  two  pairs  of  sponsors, 
one  of  the  other  pair  takes  it. 

Reader :  '  The  Lord  is  viy  light  and  my  salvation :  whom 
then  shall  I  fear  1  the  Lord  is  the  strength  of  7ny  life,  of  whom 
then  shall  I  be  afraid  V  Then  follows  the  Epistle,  read  by  the 
Reader  (Rom.  vi.  3-11),  'So  many  of  us  .  .  .  alive  unto  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,'  and  after  a  few  sentences 
and  doxologies  the  Gospel  (St.  Matt,  xxviii.  16  to  end)."^ 

Ihis  Psalm  is  also  appointed  in  the  Greek  Office  for  the 
Visitation  of  the  Sick.t  The  Latin  Church  has  appointed  it 
for  Good  Friday  and  Easter  Even,  and  so  the  Sarum  Use.| 

The  Whole  Psalm. — India  was  still  heaving  with  the  ground- 
swell  of  the  terrible  mutiny  of  1857,  when  the  wife  of  Sir  John 
Lawrence  was  called  home  to  her  children  in  England,  and 
had  to  leave  her  husband,  who  could  not  quit  his  post, 
surrounded  by  the  smouldering  embers  which  might  at  any 
moment  rekindle  into  flame,  and  worn  to  exhaustion  with  the 
anxiety  and  labour  which  did  so  much  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Indian  Empire.  She  thus  writes  :  '  When  the  last  morning 
of  separation  (Jan.  6,  1858)  arrived,  we  had  our  usual  Bible 
reading,  and  I  can  never  think  of  the  27//?  Psalm,  which  was 

*  Graco-Rtissia^i  Church,  pp.  74,  75. 
t  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  239. 
%  Wordsworth's  Comf?tentary,  p.  38. 


PSALM  XXVII.  127 

the  portion  we  then  read  together,  without  recaUing  that  sad 
time.'  In  perusing  the  Psalm,  we  can  see  what  springs  of  comfort 
must  have  opened  in  every  verse,  from  the  beginning  to  the 
close :  '  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation  :  whom  shall 
I  fear  ?  The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life  :  of  whom  shall 
I  be  afraid  ?  .  .  .  For  in  the  time  of  trouble  He  shall  hide  me 
in  His  pavilion,  in  the  secret  of  His  tabernacle  shall  He  hide 
me  ;  He  shall  set  me  up  upon  a  rock.  ...  I  had  fainted, 
unless  I  had  believed  to  see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in  the 
land  of  the  living.  Wait  on  the  Lord  ;  be  of  good  courage, 
and    He    shall    strengthen   thine   heart ;    wait,    I  say,  in    the 

LORD.'"^ 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Dr.  Kogel  read  this  Psalm  to  the  dying 
Emperor  William.  'Papa,  do  you  understand?'  asked  the 
Grand  Duchess  of  Baden.  '  It  was  beautiful !'  and  these  were 
his  last  words  (March  9,  1888). 

Verse  i.  Domiims  ilhiminatio  mea. — No  device  of  whatever 
kind  appears  on  any  of  the  known  Oxford  books  executed 
during  the  15  th  century.  We  are  not  aware  of  any  one 
earlier  than  that  which  is  here  exhibited  in  a  woodcut  as  our 
first  specimen  ;  which  is  found  in  a  work  by  Walter  Burley,  of 
the  date  of  15 17.  It  is  an  engraving  on  wood,  representing 
the  University  arms  in  a  shield  supported  by  two  angels ;  but 
instead  of  our  present  motto,  'Dominus  illuminatio  mea,' 
which  was  introduced  after  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II.,  we 
here  read  'Veritas  hberabit  Bonitas  regnabit.'  Our  second 
specimen,  taken  from  books  of  the  17th  century,  presents 
a  device  somewhat  different,  in  which  the  two  angels  appear 
above,  and  two  fiends  below,  with  the  appropriate  motto  on 
the  open  book  of  seven  seals  '  Sapientias  et  Feiicitatis ;'  a 
motto  which  appears  in  books  printed  by  Joseph  Barnes,  1586- 
161 7,  and  which  was  used  till  about  the  time  of  the  Restoration. 
It  seems  that  the  three  mottoes  of  the  University  appear  in 

*    The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography^  P-  5I. 


128  PSALM-MOSAICS 

combination  in  an  escutcheon  representing  the  arms  of  the 
University  in  the  east  window  of  the  Bodleian.^ 

Verse  3.  Though  a?i  host  of  7ne?i  were  laid  against  ?ne^  yet 
shall  7Wt  my  heart  be  afraid. — St.  Antony,  the  first  great 
preacher  of  the  hermit  life,  was  an  instance  of  self-denial  and 
forgetfulness.  He  was  an  Egyptian,  Christianly  brought  up. 
One  day  in  Church  the  Gospel  was,  '  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect, 
go,  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor ;  and  come, 
follow  Me,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven  :'  he  there- 
fore sold  all  that  he  had,  committed  his  sister  to  known  and 
faithful  virgins,  and  adopted  a  life  of  self-denial. 

Antony,  having  thus  as  it  were  bound  himself,  went  to  the 
tombs,  which  happened  to  be  some  way  from  the  village  ;  and 
having  bidden  one  of  his  acquaintance  to  bring  him  bread  at 
intervals  of  many  days,  he  entered  one  of  the  tombs,  and, 
shutting  the  door  upon  himself,  remained  there  alone.  But 
the  enemy  not  enduring  that,  but  rather  terrified,  lest  in  a  little 
while  he  should  fill  the  desert  with  his  training,  coming  one 
night  with  a  multitude  of  demons,  beat  him  so  much  with 
stripes  that  he  lay  speechless  for  the  torture.  For  he  asserted 
that  the  pain  was  so  great,  that  no  blows  given  by  men  could 
cause  such  agony.  But  by  the  providence  of  God  (for  the 
Lord  does  not  overlook  those  who  trust  in  Him),  the  next 
day  his  acquaintance  came,  bringing  him  the  loaves.  And 
having  opened  the  door,  and  seeing  him  lying  on  the  ground 
for  dead,  he  carried  him  to  the  Lord's  house  in  the  village, 
and  laid  him  on  the  ground,  and  many  of  his  kinsfolk  and  the 
villagers  sat  round  him,  as  round  a  corpse.  But  about  mid- 
night Antony,  coming  to  himself,  and  waking  up,  saw  them  all 
sleeping  and  only  his  acquaintance  awake,  and  nodding  to  him 
to  approach,  begged  him  to  carry  him  back  to  the  tomb,  without 
waking  anyone.  When  that  was  done,  the  doors  were  shut,  and 
he  remained  as  before,  alone  inside.  And  because  he  could 
not  stand  on  account  of  the  demons'  blows,  he  prayed  prostrate. 

*  Ingram's  Memorials  of  Oxford^  vol.  iii.,  p.  15. 


PSALM  XXVII.  J 29 

And  after  his  prayer  he  said  with  a  shout,  '  Here  am  I, 
Antony;  I  do  not  fly  from  your  stripes;  yea,  if  you  do  yet 
more,  nothing  shall  separate  me  from  the  love  of  Christ.' 
And  then  he  sang  :  'If  an  host  be  laid  against  me,  yet  shall  not 
my  heart  be  afj-aidT"^ 

Verse  4.  0?ie  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,  which  I  will 
require,  even  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  home  of  the  Lord  all  the 
days  of  my  life. — Peter  Balsam,  a  native  of  the  territory  of 
Eleutheropolis,  in  Palestine,  was  apprehended  at  Aulane,  in 
the  persecution  of  Maximinus.  Being  brought  before  Severus, 
governor  of  the  province,  he  was  subjected  to  a  severe  cross- 
examination.  He  was  afterwards  put  to  the  rack,  and  whilst 
he  was  suspended  in  the  air,  the  governor  said  to  him,  scoffing  : 
'  What  say  you  now,  Peter ;  do  you  begin  to  know  what  the 
rack  is  ?  Are  you  yet  willing  to  sacrifice  ?'  Peter  answered, 
'  Tear  me  with  iron  hooks.  I  have  already  told,  sacrificing,  I 
will  sacrifice  to  that  God  alone  for  whom  I  suffer.'  Hereupon 
the  governor  commanded  his  tortures  to  be  redoubled.  The 
martyr,  far  from  fetching  the  least  sigh,  sung  with  alacrity  those 
verses  of  the  royal  prophet  :  One  thing  L  have  asked  of  the 
Lord;  this  will  I  seek  after:  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life.  L  will  take  the  chalice  of  salva- 
tion, and  will  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

After  enduring  other  tortures  he  was  nailed  to  a  cross. 
Thus  it  was  that  this  glorious  martyr  finished  his  triumph,  at 
Aulane  on  the  third  of  January,  311.! 

St.  Maglorre  was  a  fellow-disciple  of  St.  Sampson  under  St. 
Iltutus  in  Wales,  his  cousin,  and  his  zealous  companion  in  his 
apostolical  labours  in  Brittany,  and  he  succeeded  him  in  the 
abbey  of  Dole,  and  in  the  episcopal  character.  His  labours 
were  attended  with  a  great  harvest  of  souls.  After  three  years 
he  resigned  his  bishopric,  being  seventy  years  old,  and  retired 
into  a  desert  on  the  continent,  and  some  time  after  into  the 

*■   The  Hermits^  by  C.  Kingsley,  pp.  40,  41. 
t   Butler's  Lives  of  the  faints. 


I30  PSALM-MOSAICS 

isle  of  Jersey,  where  he  founded  and  governed  a  monastery  of 
sixty  monks.  He  lived  on  barley  bread  and  pulse,  ate  only 
after  sunset,  and  on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays  took  no  nourish- 
ment at  all ;  on  Sundays  and  festivals,  he  added  to  his  bread 
a  little  fish.  For  six  months  before  he  died  he  never  stirred 
out  of  the  church  but  when  he  was  obliged  by  some  necessity, 
and  he  frequently  repeated  with  sighs  :  O^ie  iking  I  have  asked 
of  ike  Lord ;  tkis  7a ill  I  seek  after :  ikat  I  may  dzvell  i?i  the 
house  of  tke  Lord  all  tke  days  of  my  life.  He  died  about  the 
year  575.* 

Verse  5.  hi  tke  time  of  trouble  He  skall  hide  me  in  His  taber- 
nacle. 

.    '  In  Thy  safe  pavilion,  Lord, 
]/  'Neath  the  shadow  of  Thy  wing, 

Let  me  nestle  down  my  head, 
All  my  sorrows  to  Thee  bring. 

'  In  Thy  safe  pavilion,  Lord, 

'Neath  the  shadow  of  Thy  wing, 
from  this  lower  woild  of  strife. 
Hide  me  from  its  hollow  ring. 

'  In  Thy  safe  pavilion,  Lord, 

'Neath  the  shadow  of  Thy  wing, 
Lay  me  like  a  little  child, 
To  my  Father  I  would  cling. 

•  Let  me  hear  the  distant  waves, 
V  /         Silv'ry  chimes  upon  that  shore, 
^      Softly  murmuring  to  the  blest, 
Rest,  sweet  rest  for  evermore. 

'  On  Thy  bosom  calmly  sleeping, 
vy  Weary  with  this  earthly  strife, 

Speak  to  me  of  love  unchanging, 
Everlasting  love  and  life  !'t 

Verse  9.  My  keart  hath  talked  of  Thee ,  Seek  ye  my  face  ;  Thy 
face,  Lord,  will  /  seek  : 

'  Help  me  to  seek  Thee,  Saviour,  lest  I  stray 
In  paths  that  never  bear  Thy  blessed  feet  ; 
I  would  not  wander  from  my  Lord's  highway, 
Yet  I  am  weak,  and  earth's  frail  joys  are  sweet.' 

*  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints. 
t  Poems  by  Sophia  Eckly,  p.  90. 


PSALM  XXVII.  ,31 

'  But  all  my  soul  is  set  to  seek  Thy  face, 

And  all  Thy  love  hath  moved  me  to  be  Thine  ; 
My  spirit  yearneth  for  Thy  dwelling-place, 
My  heart  desireth  that  fair  home  of  mine. 

'  Still  keep  me  true  to  Thee  in  bliss  or  pain, 

Incline  mine  ear  to  hear  what  Thou  shalt  speak  ; 
Call  me  to  Thee  again,  and  yet  again, 

And  I  will  say,  "  Thy  face,  Tord,  will  I  seek."  '* 

Verse  12.    lVhe7i  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me,  the 
Lord  taketh  me  up. 

'  'Tis  strange  that  those  we  lean  on  most, 
Those  in  whose  laps  our  limbs  are  nursed, 
Fall  into  shadow,  soonest  lost  ; 
Those  we  love  first  are  taken  first. 

'  God  gives  us  love.     Something  to  love 

He  lends  us ;  but,  when  love  is  grown 
To  ripeness,  that  on  which  it  throve 
Falls  off,  and  love  is  left  alone.' 

Alfred  Tennyson. 

Verse  14.    Wait  on  the  Lord,  be  of  good  courage. 

'  Stand  but  your  ground,  your  ghostly  foes  will  fly — 
Hell  trembles  at  a  heaven-directed  eye  ; 
Choose  rather  to  defend  than  to  assail — 
Self-confidence  will  in  the  conflict  fail  ; 
When  you  are  challenged  you  may  dangers  meet — 
True  courage  is  a  fixed,  not  sudden  heat  ; 
Is  always  humble,  lives  in  self-distrust, 
And  will  itself  into  no  danger  thrust. 
Devote  yourself  to  GOD,  and  you^will  find 
God  fights  the  battles  of  a  will  resigned. 
Love  Jesus  !  love  will  no  base  fear  endure — 
Love  Jesus  !  and  of  conquest  rest  secure.' 

Bishop  Ken  (1637-1711). 

Verse  15.  /  should  utterly  have  fainted ;  but  that  L  believe 
verily  to  see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

'  One  adequate  support 
For  the  calamities  of  mortal  life 
Exists,  one  only — an  assured  belief 
That  the  procession  of  our  fate,  howe'er 
Sad  or  disturbed,  is  ordered  by  a  Being 
Of  infinite  benevolence  and  power  ; 
Whose  everlasting  purposes  embrace 
All  accidents,  converting  them  to  good.' 

William  Wordsworth. 


Sunday  at  Home,  1877,  p.  505. 


132  PSALM. MOSAICS 

Ve?'sc  1 6.  O  tarry  thou  the  Lord's  leisin-e  ;  be  strong,  and  He 
shall  comfort  thme  heart ;  and  put  thou  thy  trust  171  the  Lord. — 
For  an  excellent  and  affecting  exposition  of  this  text,  in  re- 
ference to  the  duties  of  the  faithful  in  times  of  trouble,  the 
reader  may  refer  to  Bishop  Sanderson's  Sermon  upon  it 
(i.  353),  preached  before  King  Charles  L,  at  Woburn,  in  the 
time  of  his  distress,  August  8,  1647. 

At  the  Deanery,  Carlisle,  in  1855,  the  greatest  sorrow  that 
can  befall  loving  natures  happened  to  Archbishop  Tait  and  his 
wife.  Five  of  their  children  died,  one  after  the  other,  in 
scarlet  fever. 

'  A  very  few  days  after  her  first  great  sorrow  had  fallen  upon 
her,  she  committed  to  writing  her  recollections  of  it  for  the 
perusal  of  her  family  and  her  friends. 

On  December  20th  she  wrote  unknown  to  anyone  a 
memorandum,  addressed  to  her  son,  which  was  only  found  in 
one  of  her  drawers  after  her  death.  From  that  paper  the  fol- 
lowing words  are  extracted  : 

'  I  wish  to  say  to  dear  Craufurd  (her  son)  and  our  children, 
that  after  your  father  and  myself  have  left  you,  and  have, 
through  the  merits  of  Christ,  joined  your  dear  sisters  in  our 
Father's  house,  it  may  be  well  for  you  to  publish  the  little 
book  which  contains  the  account  I  wrote  soon  after  they  left 
us,  of  that  time  of  trial.  As  the  suffering  is  one  which  must 
recur  over  and  over  again  while  the  world  lasts,  it  may  speak 
a  word  of  help  and  comfort  to  those  upon  whom  a  similar 
burden  is  laid,  and  who  are  feeling  that  it  is  too  heavy  for  them 
to  bear.  To  them  I  would  say,  "  O  tarry  thou  the  Lord's  leisure; 
be  strong,  afid  He  shall  comfort  your  hearts  ;  and  put  you  your 
trust  hi  the  Lord.''  In  the  darkest  part  of  our  sorrow  these 
words  were  never  absent  from  me,  and  I  have  found  how  truly 
they  spoke.' 

Her  life,  her  death,  was  one  long  act  of  trust  in  God,  and 
she  was  enabled  to  say,  in  strong  hope  (they  are  her  own 
words),  '  They  are  in  the  safe  keeping  of  God  and  His  good 
angels,  and  now  know  the  joy  of  His  people,  in  the  kingdom 


PSALM  XXVIII. 


133 


of  His  glory;  and  as  for  us,  we  know  to  Whom  we  have 
committed  them,  and  are  sure  that  He  is  able  to  keep  them 
for  us.' 


PSALM  xxvni. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Cry  for  help  and  thanksgiving,  in  a 
time  of  rebelUon. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Another  of  those  'songs  in  the  night' 
of  which  the  pen  of  David  was  so  prolific. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Prayer  and  supplica- 
tion ;  and  that  we  should  implore  aid. 

Origin  (Perowne). — There  is  no  valid  reason  why  we  should 
reject  the  traditional  title  which  gives  the  Psalm  to  David. 
Like  the  two  preceding  Psalms,  it  might  very  well  have  been 
composed  at  the  time  of  Absalom's  rebellion. 

/;/  Church. — In  the  Orthodox  Eastern  Church,  in  Liturgy 
of  St.  Chrysostom,  Holy  Eucharist.  After  the  people  have 
received,  the  Priest  blesses  them,  repeating  Psalm  xxviii.  10  : 
'  O  God,  save  Thy  people,  and  bless  Thine  heritage.'* 

The  Whole  Psahn.  —  The  principle  of  building  East  and 
West,  and  placing  the  altar  eastwards,  so  as  to  turn  the  faces 
of  the  worshippers  in  that  direction,  must  be  derived  from 
Eastern,  if  not  from  Hebrew,  habit,  as  the  idea  of  a  fixed 
Kebleh,  or  direction,  is  certainly  Oriental.  '  We  have  probably 
the  earliest  trace  of  it,'  says  Mr.  Plumptre,  'in  Psalm  xxviii., 
ascribed  to  David.  It  is  recognised  in  the  dedication  prayer 
of  Solomon  (i  Kings  vii.  29),  and  by  Daniel  (vi.  10),  as  a  fixed 
rule.  Christian  orientation  probably  followed  the  structure  of 
the  synagogue  .  .  .  and  the  Table  of  the  Lord,  bearing  wit- 
ness of  the  Blood  of  the  New  Covenant,  took  the  place  of  the 
ark,  which  contained  the  Law  that  was  the  groundwork  of  the 
old.'t 

*  Neale's  Commenlary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  269. 

t  The  Basilica,  by  Rev.  R.  St.  John  Tyrwhitt,  part  ii. 


134  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  i.  Be  not  silent  to  nie. — Gerhohus,  interpreting  the 
Vulgate,  Nesileas  a  me,  does  not  fail  to  enter  at  length  into  the 
mediaeval  belief  that  the  lion's  whelps  are  born  dead,  and  that 
the  parent  lion,  by  roaring  over  them,  raises  them  to  life  on  the 
third  day.  Keep  Jiot  silence  over  me,  to  the  end  that  I  may  not 
remain  in  death.* 

Verse  6. — For  they  regard  not  in  their  mind  the  works  of  the 
Lord,  nor  the  operation  of  His  hands  ;  therefore  shall  He  break 
them  down,  and  not  build  them  up. — The  Christian  of  the  time 
of  Julian  the  Apostate  saw  a  marvellous  fulfilment  of  this 
verse  when  the  plan  of  this  heathen  Emperor  for  rebuilding 
the  Temple  was  miraculously  frustrated.  He,  indeed,  regarded 
not  in  his  mind  those  prophecies  that  foretold  that  of  the 
Temple  there  should  not  be  left  one  stone  upon  another ; 
and  therefore  God  did  break  down,  and  not  build  up,  his 
abortive  attempt,  causing  the  very  heathen  to  confess  that  there 
was  somewhat  miraculous  in  his  failure.t 

Ve?'se  lo.  O  save  Thy  people,  and  give  Thy  blessing  unto 
Thine  iiiheritance  :  feed  them,  and  set  them  up  for  ever. — Here  we 
have  one  of  the  clauses  in  that  wonderful  hymn  (theTe  Deum) 
the  author  of  which,  like  most  of  the  other  everlasting  posses- 
sions of  the  Church,  will  never  be  known  till  the  end  of  all 
things  ;  for  none  can  doubt  that  it  is  far  older  than  its  usually 
alleged  parentage,  which  would  attribute  it  to  St.  Ambrose  and 
St.  Augustine.j 

At  the  martyrdom  of  Savonar-ola,  both  he  and  Fra  Domenico, 
one  of  his  most  devoted  followers,  and  who  suffered  martyrdom 
with  him,  endeavoured  in  vain  to  appease  the  tumult,  and 
entreated  the  brethren  to  lay  aside  their  armour.  When  words 
could  avail  nothing,  Savonarola,  attiring  himself  in  a  cope,  and 
taking  a  crucifix  in  his  hand,  proposed  to  go  forth  and  offer 
himself  a  sacrifice  to  the  mob,  as  it  was  on  his  account  that 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Com/iientary,  vol.  i.,  p.  390. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  394. 

X  Ibid.,  p.  397. 


PSALM  XXIX,  135 

the  storm  had  arisen.  Held  back  by  the  lamentations  of  his 
friends,  he  then  took  the  Sacrament  in  his  hands,  and  calling 
upon  his  brethren  to  follow  him,  he  went  in  procession  around 
the  cloisters,  and  afterwards  proceeding  to  the  choir,  told  them 
that  prayer  was  their  only  weapon.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the 
community  joined  him  in  prayer,  singing  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament:  ^  Salviun  fac  popidum  Tuum  Domi7ie.'  The  assault 
on  the  convent  waxed  fiercer,  and  fire  was  now  applied  to 
burn  down  the  doors.  The  friars  met  their  assailants  with 
determined  courage,  striking  with  whatever  weapon  they 
could  lay  hold  of.  The  grotesque  and  the  pathetic  were 
curiously  mingled  in  this  strange  conflict.  One  historian  tells 
us  of  a  certain  German  brother,  named  Herred,  who,  in  de- 
fending the  choir,  got  up  into  the  pulpit  with  an  arquebuse  and 
shot  a  good  many  of  the  enemy  in  the  Church,  exclaiming  as 
he  fired  :  '  Salvuin  fac populum  Tuuni  Domine  et  benedic  hcere- 
ditate  Tuce,  taking  up  the  refrain  of  the  Psalm  which  Savona- 
rola had  made  them  sing  before  the  Sacrament."^ 

PSALM  XXIX. 

Heading  {T)e\\tz?,ch). — The  Psalm  of  the  seven  Thunders. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  —  Concerning  the 
oblation. 

Origin  (Perowne). — According  to  the  tradition  in  the  in- 
scription of  the  LXX.,  it,obi(j-j  (al  sgd^ou)  <y/i/;i/^?,  it  would  seem 
that  in  the  Second  Temple  this  Psalm  was  sung  in  the  Shemini 
Ayereth,  the  last  day  (jjo5/oi/,  Lev.  xxiii.  36)  of  the  Feast  of  the 
Tabernacles.  In  the  modern  synagogue,  however,  this  Psalm 
stands  in  the  Jewish  liturgy,  to  be  used  on  the  first  day  of 
Pentecost. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  was  sung  in  the  Temple  Service  on 
the  evening  of  New  Year's  Day.f     Used  in  the  Synagogue 

*  Savonarola,  by  Prebendary  Clark,  p.  359. 
t  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  241. 


1 36  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

Service  at  Pentecost,  the  anniversary  of  the  Giving  of  the  Law 
on  Sinai."^ 

In  the  Roman  Church  it  begins  the  Form  of  Baptism  for 
Adults  (the  other  Psahiis  are  viii.  and  xhi.).t  In  the  Latin  and 
Sarum  Use  it  is  appointed  for  the  Festival  of  the  Epiphany — 
the  Manifestation  of  God's  glory  in  Christ.  | 

T/ie  JVho/e  Fsahn. — In  some  of  the  old  versions  of  the 
Psalter,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  there  is  an  arrangement  of 
a  number  of  the  Psalms  according  to  the  months  of  the  year, 
forming  what  may  be  called  a  Calendar  of  nature,  yielding  its 
fruit  of  praise  every  month.  The  29th  is  taken  for  July,  the 
season  of  thunderstorms,  for,  in  the  Psalm,  seven  thunders 
utter  their  voices.  April  has  the  latter  part  of  the  65th ;  and 
the  showers  and  springing  verdure  of  May  have  the  104th, 
verses  13,  14.  Psalm  90th,  in  December,  suggests  the  flight 
of  time;  and  the  147th,  verses  16,  17,  is  chosen  for  the  snow 
and  ice  of  January.  § 

Delitzsch  says  this  Psalm  begins  with  a  Gloria  in  excelsis, 
and  ends  with  a  Fax  ifi  terris. 

Jn  contemplating  Nature^  no  Psalm  can  be  more  eloquent  of 
Ihe  spirit  of  the  Psalmist  than  the  29th  Psalm. 

Let  me  quote  the  noble  commentary  of  Reuss  : 

'  There  are  in  this  Psalm,  properly  speaking,  two  scenes,  each 
of  which  is  pendant  of  the  other.  One  passes  upon  earth, 
where  we  see  the  hurricane  raging  in  a  way  unknown  to  our 
climate.  The  colossal  cedars  of  Lebanon  are  split  in  pieces  ; 
their  gigantic  trunks  are  torn  from  the  ground,  and  leap  as 
lightly  as  the  ox  in  the  meadow.  The  mountain  itself  groans 
and  trembles,  scourged  by  the  tempest. 

'  The  lightnings  furrow  a  sky  darker  than  the  deepest  night. 

Vast  deserts,  such  as  that  of  Kadesh,  in  the  south  of  Canaan, 

where  nothing  stops  the  element,  are  swept  by  the  hurricane. 

*  Kay  on  The  Psalms,  p.  90. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  CoDunentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  268. 

X  Wordsworth's  Comuicniary,  p.  39. 

g    The  Psaltns  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  52. 


PSALM  XXIX.  137 

Their  sand  becomes  a  moving  sea,  the  atmosphere  an  ocean 
chasing  over  its  tossed  bed,  and  sweeping  with  it  all  which  it 
meets  in  its  passage.  The  trees  which  can  resist  are  peeled  and 
stripped  bare.  Beasts  are  seized  with  terror,  and  their  con- 
vulsive shudderings  make  them  anticipate  the  hour  of  nature. 
Man  is  nowhere  in  this  description.  He  is  mute,  and  retires 
before  the  terrible  majesty  of  the  spectacle.  But  we  feel,  in 
contemplating  it  with  the  poet,  that  an  involuntary  anguish  is 
mixed  with  that  other  impression,  of  which  man  alone  is 
capable.  Above  the  terrible  turmoil  the  Lord  is  seated 
majestically  upon  His  throne. 

'  The  flood  which  is  about  to  sweep  over  the  earth  is  the  foot- 
stool of  that  throne.  He  contemplates  it  with  a  serene  eye, 
and  with  His  royal  hand  He  will  stay  the  elements  when  He 
pleases.  Round  Him  the  powers,  which  are  His  Messengers, 
almost  the  Priests  of  His  Heavenly  sanctuary,  clad  in  their 
sacred  robes,  press  on  to  glorify  Him.  What  a  magnificent 
antithesis  in  a  few  lines  !' 

This  seems  to  me  a  truer  view  than  that  which  speaks  of  the 
'  wild  exhilaration '  of  the  Psalmist  in  the  darker  side  of  crea- 
tion. '  Like  the  Scottish  poet,'  says  a  delightful  writer  on  the 
29th  Psalm,  'who  looked  up  from  the  heather,  and  at  each 
flash  of  lightning  clapped  his  hands,  and  cried  "  Bonnie  ! 
bonnie  !"  they  clap  their  hands  in  innocent  pleasure.'  But 
the  beautiful  comparison  is  inapplicable.  The  Psalmist  is  not 
wild.  He  is  not  exhilarated.  He  does  not  clap  his  hands. 
He  says  with  solemn  and  awe-struck  tones  : 

'  The  voice  of  the  Lord  is  cleaving  (as  one  who  cleaves  wood  or  stoue) 

the  flames  of  fire. 
The  voice  of  the  Lord  will  cause  the  wilderness  to  tremble, 
The  wilderness  of  Kadesh. 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  will  cause  the  hinds  to  tremble  to  the  birth, 
And  strip  the  forest  bare, 
And  in  His  palace,  all  of  it  saith  "  Glory."  '* 

Bishop  Wordsworth  of  Li?icoln  was  very  ill  in  the  August  of 
1884,  and  on  the  9th  of  that  month,  the  day  of  the  Dean's 

*   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity. 


138  PSALM.MOSAICS 

(Blakesley)  and  Archdeacon's  (Kaye)  visit,  he  had  ahnost  given 
himself  up.  '  His  exhaustion  was  very  great,  and  the  heat 
overpowering.  In  the  evening  came  a  refreshing  thunderstorm, 
and  as  verses  of  the  beautiful  29th  Psalm  were  repeated  in  his 
room,  and  the  longed-for  drops  began  to  fall  outside  the 
window,  it  seemed  as  if  he  rallied  a  little,  and  during  the  next 
few  days  he  gradually  gained  ground,  and  for  a  few  days  there 
was  something  like  an  attempt  at  the  resumption  of  old  habits.'* 
The  Bishop  did  not  die  until  March  of  the  following  year. 


PSALM  XXX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Song  of  Thanksgiving  after  Recovery 
from  dangerous  sickness. 

Co7ite7its  (Syriac).  —  A  Psalm  of  David  —  Prophecy  and 
Thanksgiving. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  was  composed  after  recovery 
from  a  sickness  which  had  very  nearly  proved  fatal.  Accord- 
ing to  the  inscription,  the  Psalm  was  composed  '  at  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  house'  .  .  .  perhaps,  if  the  inscription  is  trust- 
worthy, it  refers  to  the  house  which  David  built  in  his  new  city 
of  Zion,  and  the  building  of  which  he  seems  to  have  regarded 
as  a  pledge  of  the  security  and  prosperity  of  his  kingdom 
(2  Sam.  v.  II,  12).  We  must,  however,  still  suppose  that  he 
had  suffered  just  before  from  a  sickness  about  which  the  history 
is  silent. 

/;/  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Jewish  Ritual 
for  the  Enccemia,  or  Feast  of  Dedication  {cf.  John  x.  22).  In 
the  Latin  Church  it  is  appointed  to  be  used  on  the  Festival  of 
the  Ascension. t 

The  Whole  Fsabn. — This  is  one  of  the  musical  Psalms,  the 
others  being  48,  67,  68,  75,  92. 

*  Bishop  lVordswo7-tJi  s  Life,  by  J.  H.  Overton  and  E.  Wordsworth,  p.  472. 
t   Bishop  Wordsworth's  Comvientary,  p.  41. 


PSALM  XXX.  139 

Verse  5.  Heaimiess  may  eftdure  for  a  nighty  hut  joy  cometh  in 
the  morning. — In  explaining  how  the  worship  of  the  sun  and 
moon  began,  the  author  of  The  Childhood  of  the  JVor/d  says  : 
'  Welcome  as  was  the  Hght  given  by  moon  and  far-off  stars,  it 
was  less  sure  than  the  sun's,  and,  although  it  relieved  the  gloom 
and  darkness,  could  not  chase  night  away.  Therefore  the 
natural  feeling  of  man  was  to  bow  before  this  Lord  of  Light, 
and,  in  the  earliest  known  form  of  adoration,  kiss  his  hand  to 
it,  paying  it  the  offering  of  sacrifice.  There  is  an  old  story 
from  some  Jewish  writings,  known  as  the  Talmud,  which 
describes  very  powerfully  man's  feeling  concerning  the  dark- 
ness and  the  light.  It  relates  that  "  when  Adam  and  Eve  were 
driven  out  of  the  garden  of  Eden,  they  wandered  over  the  face 
of  the  earth.  And  the  sun  began  to  set,  and  they  looked  with 
fear  at  the  lessening  of  the  light,  and  felt  a  horror  like  death 
steal  over  their  hearts.  And  the  light  of  heaven  grew  paler, 
and  the  wretched  ones  clasped  each  other  in  an  agony  of 
despair.  Then  all  grew  dark,  and  the  luckless  ones  fell  on  the 
earth,  silent,  and  thought  that  God  had  withdrawn  from  them 
the  light  for  ever ;  and  they  spent  the  night  in  tears.  But  a 
beam  of  light  began  to  rise  over  the  eastern  hills  after  many 
hours  of  darkness,  and  the  golden  sun  came  back  and  dried 
the  tears  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  then  they  cried  out  with  joy 
and  said,  '  Heaviness  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in 
the  morning;  this  is  a  law  that  God  hath  laid  upon  nature.""* 
yoy  cometh  in  the  moriiing. 

'  Let  the  new  morn,  morn  of  gladness, 
Dry  the  evening's  tear  of  sadness  ; 
Life  hath  conquered  death  in  fray, 
Let  us  all  keep  holyday  !"t 

PSALM  XXXL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Surrender  of   one   sorely  persecuted 
into  the  Hand  of  God. 

*   The  Childhood  of  the  JVorld,  chap.  xxix. 
t  Adam  of  St.   Victor. 


MO  PSALM-MOSAICS 

ConteJiis  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Confession  and 
continual  supplication  to  God. 

Origin  (Perowne).— On  the  whole,  this  Psalm  reminds  us 
more  of  some  parts  of  Jeremiah  than  of  any  other  of  the  Old 
Testament  writings.  In  its  tender  and  plaintive  character  it 
resembles  Lamentations  iii.  Hence  Ewald  and  Hetzig  have 
concluded  that  the  Psalm  was  written  by  Jeremiah.  On  other 
grounds  there  is  no  reason  why  the  Psalm  should  not  have 
been  David's.  It  breathes  throughout  his  rare  tenderness  of 
spirit,  as  well  as  his  faith  and  courage. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  begins  with  the  same  lan- 
guage of  confiding  trust  and  prayer  with  which  that  noble 
anthem  in  our  Liturgy,  the  Te  Deum,  concludes  :  '  In  Thee 
have  I  trusted  ;  let  me  never  be  confounded  ;'  '  In  Thee  do  I 
put  my  trust ;  let  me  never  be  ashamed.'  And  to  show  how 
Scriptural  is  the  language,  as  well  as  the  spirit  of  our  service,  it 
is  from  the  same  Psalm  the  compilers  of  our  Prayer-Book 
have  adopted  another  petition  in  those  versicles,  both  in  our 
Morning  and  Evening  Service :  '  O  God,  make  speed  to  save 
us  !  O  Lord,  make  haste  to  help  us  !'  And  so  here  it  is  : 
'  Bow  down  Thine  ear  to  me,  deliver  me  speedily.'^ 

St.  Athanasius  recommends  this  Psalm  to  Marcellinus  as 
most  appropriate  to  the  Christian  who,  for  the  name  of  his 
^Master,  is  enduring  the  attacks  of  enemies  or  suffering  from 
the  coldness  of  friends. f 

/;/  Church. — This  Psalm  is  the  5th  of  the  Greek  late  Even- 
song;  verses  1-6  form  the  second  Psalm  at  Compline.  | 

Verse  i.  In  Thee,  O  Lord.,  have  I  put  my  trust ;  let  me  ?iever 
be  put  to  confusion.  Henri  Perreyve,  whose  short  though  beauti- 
ful life  has  been  given  us  by  Pere  Gratry,  was  very  near  to 
death  more  than  once. 

*  Daily  Conniujits  on  the  Fsalms,  by  B.  Bouchier,  vol.  i.,  p.  204. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Commeniaiy,  vol.  i.,  p.  472. 
X   Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  241. 


PSALM  XXXI.  141 

He  said  the  Te  Deum,  that  hymn  of  thanksgiving  for  his 
Hfe,  before  partaking  of  the  Bread  of  Life  Everlasting. 

All  God's  many  blessings  were  lovingly  remembered  then, 
I  am  certain,  by  our  friend ;  his  Christian  education,  his 
parents'  love,  the  intense  devotion  of  his  sister,  who  had  been 
as  a  guardian  angel  to  him  ;  the  friends  of  his  childhood  and 
youth,  to  whom  he  had  given,  and  from  whom  he  had  received, 
the  stay  which  hearts  united  in  the  love  of  Jesus  know  how  to 
find  ;  the  precious  friendship  of  Pere  Lacordaire,  the  many 
loving  hearts  which  had  brightened  his  life,  the  growing  suc- 
cess which  had  given  promise  that  one  day  he  was  to  be  a 
powerful  and  useful  servant  of  souls,  of  his  country,  of  the 
Church.  Yes,  all  God's  graces  and  gifts  were  thankfully 
acknowledged,  and  the  tone  of  loving  faith  with  which  he 
uttered  the  last  words  before  receiving  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
^  In  te  Domine^  speravi,  non  confundur  in  cEferniun,'  \n\\\  never 
be  forgotten  by  those  who  heard  it. 

When  he  had  received  the  Lord's  Body,  his  face  kindled 
with  heavenly  brightness  ;  and,  after  he  had  made  his  thanks- 
giving, he  said  to  me,  '  You  cannot  think  what  inward  happi- 
ness has  filled  me,  ever  since  you  told  me  that  I  am  about  to 
die.' 

From  this  time  Henri  was  really  in  his  last  agony  ;  it  was 
quiet  and  peaceful,  but  it  was  an  agony— the  last  struggle  of 
life  resisting  death.  His  hands  grew  icy  cold,  his  pulse 
scarcely  perceptible ;  the  heavy  oppression  increased ;  the  body 
was  fast  perishing,  but  the  soul  retained  all  its  faculties  to  the 
uttermost,  and  was  steadfastly  cleaving  to  God  ;  from  time  to 
time  he  put  the  crucifix,  which  he  still  held,  to  his  lips,  mur- 
muring, '  Lord  have  mercy  upon  me;'  'Jesus,  take  me  soon  ;' 
'Jesus,  come  quickly  ;'  and  when  his  heaving  breast  could  no 
longer  yield  breath  for  even  such  brief  prayers,  he  still  from 
time  to  time  whispered  gently  the  one  word,  'Jesus.'  Towards 
seven  o'clock,  dear  Henri  made  a  sudden  effort  to  raise  him- 
self in  his  bed.  His  face  was  haggard  and  bathed  in  death- 
sweat,  his  lips  blanched  ;  but  his  kindling  eyes  sparkled  as  he 


142 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


fixed  them  with  the  keenest  expression  of  terror  on  some 
invisible  but  present  enemy,  and  twice  he  cried  out  loudly, 
'  I  am  afraid  !  I  am  afraid  !'  I  hastened  to  his  side,  saying,  '  No, 
no,  you  must  not  fear  God  ;  you  must  give  yourself  up  wholly  to 
His  mercy,  and  say,  "  /n  T/iee,  O  Lord,  have  I  trusted ;  let  me 
never  be  confounded''  He  looked  up  into  my  face,  and  said,  '  It 
is  not  of  God  I  am  afraid  !  I  am  afraid  lest  I  should  be 
hindered  dying  !'  I  made  him  kiss  his  crucifix,  and  he  grew 
calm.  Kneeling  close  beside  him,  and  holding  Pere  Lacor- 
daire's  cross,  which  he  had  had  beside  him  all  the  day,  I  said 
slowly  and  distinctly,  '  My  God,  I  love  Thee  with  all  my  heart 
for  time  and  eternity.'  '  Oh  yes !  with  all  my  heart  !'  he 
answered,  and  his  dying  lips  clung  to  the  likeness  of  our  dear 
Lord  and  Master  Jesus  Christ. 

Those  were  his  last  words,  his  last  act  of  faith  and  love. 
The  cold  shadow  of  death  fell  upon  that  beautiful  brow,  his 
hitherto  clear,  bright  consciousness  was  veiled,  and  for  a  few 
minutes  only  the  heaving  breast  told  us  that  the  soul  had  not 
yet  fled.  The  two  Fathers,  Charles  and  Adolphe  Perraud,  said 
the  last  prayers  for  the  dying,  '  Proficiscere  anima  Christiana ' 
— '  Go  forth,  O  Christian  soul.' 

It  was  nearly  eight  in  the  evening,  a  last  struggle  set  in,  and 
I  repeated  over  the  soul  which  was  yet  held  by  its  earthly 
chains  the  sacramental  words,  '  Ego  te  absolvo  a  peccatis  tuis  :' 
and  then  my  voice  rose  amid  the  tears  and  sobs  of  loving 
friends  and  dear  relations,  crying  out  to  the  Throne  of  God, 
*  De  profundis  clamor  ad  Te,  Domine,  quia  apud  Dominum 
misericordia  et  copioso  apud  cum  Redemptio  !'* 

Verse  (i.  Into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit. — This  Psalm 
is  connected  with  the  22nd  Psalm.  Both  of  these  Psalms 
were  used  by  Christ  on  the  cross.  From  the  22nd  Psalm 
He  derived  those  bitter  words  of  anguish,  '  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama 
sabachthani  ?'  From  the  present  Psalm  He  derived  those  last 
words  of  love  and   trust   which   He  uttered   just  before   His 

*  Henri  Perreyve,  pp.  217,  232. 


PSALM  XXX I. 


143 


death.     The  Psalter  was  the  hymn-book  and  prayer-book  of 
Christ."^ 

JIow  mcniy  saints  have  with  their  last  breath  uttered  these 
words,  since  the  Head  of  the  Church  and  His  first  martyrs  ! 
History  records  them  as  the  last  words  of  St.  Nicolas,  St.  Basil 
the  Great,  St.  Polycarp,  Epiphanius  of  Pavia,  St.  Bernard, 
Columbus,  Melancthon ;  of  St.  Louis  of  France,  who  breathed 
his  last  as  the  Christian  fleet  were  sailing  into  Tunis ;  of 
Charlemagne  and  Conradine ;  of  Hoorne  and  Egmont,  at  their 
execution ;  of  Charles  V.  in  his  monastery ;  and  of  Lady  Jane 
Grey  on  the  scaffold.  Jerome  of  Prague  also,  and  our  own 
holy  singer,  George  Herbert. 

These  were  the  last  words  of  St.  Richard,  Bishop  of  Chichester. 
He  is  remembered  in  our  Calendar  on  April  3rd.  He  was 
born  at  Droitwich,  near  Worcester,  and  elected  Bishop  of 
Chichester  in  1245,  in  opposition  to  an  unfit  nominee  of  King 
Henry  HL,  who  was  so  incensed  at  the  election  that  he  seized 
on  the  revenues  of  the  See.  St.  Richard  was  thus  reduced  to 
the  greatest  straits,  and  obliged  to  be  dependent  on  others  for 
the  necessaries  of  life  ;  he,  however,  firmly,  though  meekly, 
maintained  his  position,  and  went  about  his  diocese  discharging 
his  episcopal  duties,  until  a  threat  of  excommunication  from 
Pope  Innocent  HL  obliged  the  king  to  restore  the  revenues  of 
the  See  after  two  years'  deprivation.  He  was  five  years  Bishop 
of  Chichester,  and  was  canonised  at  Viterbo  on  St.  Vincent's 
Day,  January  22nd,  1262.  In  1253  he  undertook,  at  the  request 
of  the  Pope,  to  preach  on  behalf  of  a  Crusade.  The  flame  of 
enthusiasm  for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Land  was  dying  out 
in  Europe.  St.  Louis  of  France,  after  long  waiting  in  vain  for 
promised  aid  from  Henry  of  England,  had  been  compelled  to 
leave  the  Kingdom  of  Jerusalem  tottering  to  its  fall.  Bishop 
Richard  preached  the  Crusade  with  fervour  in  place  after  place 
along  the  south  coast ;  but  as  he  drew  near  Dover,  where  he 
v/as  to  consecrate  a  Church  to  be  dedicated  to  its  former 
*  Eishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary. 


144  PSALM-MOSAICS 

patron,  the  now  canonised  primate,  St.  Edmund,  he  was  seized 
by  illness.  He  lodged  in  the  Maison  Dieu  that  night,  and  at 
early  Mass  in  the  chapel  next  morning  he  fell  ;  the  clergy 
carried  him  out  and  laid  him  on  a  bed,  from  which  he  did  not 
rise  again.  He  grew  rapidly  worse,  received  the  Viaticum, 
repeatedly  kissed  the  sacred  wounds  on  the  Crucifix,  and  often 
ejaculating  '  Saviour,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit  ; 
Mary,  Mother  of  Grace,  receive  my  soul  1'  he  tranquilly 
breathed  his  last.  When  the  body  vras  stripped,  the  clergy 
gazed  with  admiration  and  awe  on  the  horse-hair  shirt  which 
enveloped  it,  clasped  with  iron  bands  to  increase  the  friction 
and  make  it  gall.  His  remains  were  conveyed  to  Chichester, 
and  there  interred  according  to  the  directions  in  his  will :  '  I 
commend  my  soul  to  the  Most  High  Trinity  and  the  Blessed 
Mary,  and  my  body  to  be  buried  in  the  great  Church  at 
Chichester,  in  the  nave  of  the  said  Church,  near  the  altar  of 
the  blessed  Edmund  the  Confessor,  hard  by  the  column.'^ 

Into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit,  for  Thou  hast  redeemed 
me,  O  Lord  God  of  truth. — On  the  morning  of  February  17th, 
at  Eisleben  (where  Luther  had  gone  to  mediate  between  the 
Counts  of  Mansfield  who  had  long  been  quarrelling  among  them- 
selves about  certain  rights  and  revenues,  especially  in  connec- 
tion with  Church  patronage),  they  (the  Counts)  found  them- 
selves compelled  by  Luther's  state  of  health  to  entreat  him  not 
to  exert  himself  any  longer  with  their  affairs,  and  so  he  only 
added  his  signature  when  required.  To  Justus  Jonas  and  the 
Count's  court  preacher,  Colius,  who  were  staying  with  him,  he  said 
he  thought  he  should  remain  at  Eisleben,  where  he  was  born. 
Before  supper  he  complained  of  oppression  of  the  chest,  and 
had  himself  rubbed  with  warm  cloths.  This  relieved  him,  and 
he  left  his  little  room,  going  down  the  staircase  into  the  public 
room  to  join  the  party  at  supper.  '  There  is  no  pleasure,'  he 
said,  '  in  being  alone.'  At  supper  he  was  merry  with  the  rest, 
and  talked  with  his  usual  energy  on  various  subjects — now 
jocular  or  serious,  now  intellectual  and  pious.  But  no  sooner 
*  Diocfsan  History  of  Chichester,  p.  68. 


PSALM  XXXI. 


MS 


had  he  returned  to  his  chamber  and  finished  his  usual  evening 
prayer  than  he  again  became  anxious  and  troubled.  After 
being  rubbed  again  with  warm  cloths,  and  having  taken  a 
medicine  which  Count  Albert  himself  had  brought  him,  he  laid 
himself  down  about  nine  o'clock  on  a  leathern  sofa,  and  slept 
gently  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  On  awaking  he  arose,  and  with 
the  words  (spoken  in  Latin),  ' /nfo  Thy  hands  I  commetid  my 
spirit^  for  Thou  hast  redeemed  me,  Thou  God  of  truth,''  went  to 
his  bed  in  the  adjoining  room,  where  he  again  slept,  breathing 
quietly,  till  one  o'clock.  He  then  awoke,  called  his  servant, 
and  begged  him  to  heat  the  room,  though  it  was  quite  warm 
already,  and  then  exclaimed  to  Jonas  :  '  O  Lord  God,  how  ill 
I  am  !  Ah  !  I  feel  I  shall  remain  here  at  Eisleben  where  I  was 
born  and  baptized !'  In  this  state  of  pain  he  arose,  walked 
without  assistance  into  the  room  which  he  had  left  a  few  hours 
before,  again  commending  his  soul  to  God;  and  then,  after 
pacing  up  and  down  the  room,  lay  down  once  more  on  the 
sofa,  complaining  again  of  the  oppression  on  his  chest.  His 
two  sons,  Martin  and  Paul,  remained  with  him  all  night,  and 
he  was  in  great  pain  the  whole  time,  although  at  intervals  he 
praised  God,  three  times  uttering  the  text  of  St.  John  iii.,  'God 
so  loved  the  world,'  and  three  times  rapidly  repeating  in  Latin  : 
^Father,  into  2^hy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit,  for  Thou  hast 
i^edeemed  me,  O  Lord  God  of  truth.'  Later  on  Colius  said 
aloud  in  his  ear:  'Reverend  Father  (Reverende  pater),  wilt 
thou  stand  by  Christ  and  the  doctrine  thou  hast  preached  ? 
He  uttered  an  audible  'Yes.'  He  then  turned  upon  his  right 
side,  and  fell  asleep.  He  lay  thus  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
and  between  two  and  three  in  the  morning  he  fetched  one  deep, 
even  breath,  and  was  gone  (1546).* 

The  words  of  Luther,  exemplified  in  his  own  death  : 
'  Blessed  are  they  who  die  not  only  for  the  Lord,  as  martyrs  ; 
not  only  in  the  Lord,  as  all  believers ;  but  likewise  with  the 
Lord,  as  breathing  forth  their  lives  in  these  words  :  ^^Into  Thy 
hands  I  coimnend  my  spirit.'" '■\ 

'^  Life  of  Luther,  by  Julius  Kostlin,  p.  576. 
J   The  Book  of  Psabns,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol,  i.,  p.  273. 

10 


146  PSALM-MOSAICS 

In  \\\^Jo1m  Huss  was  burned  alive  by  order  of  the  Council 
of  Constance.  On  arriving  at  the  place  of  execution,  he  fell 
on  his  knees  reciting  the  30th  and  50th  Psalms,  and  often 
repeated  these  words :  '  hito  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit, 
for  Thou  hast  redeemed  me,  O  Lord,  Thou  God  of  truth  V 

Bishop  Ridley,  after  being  bound  to  the  stake,  exclaimed, 
when  he  saw  the  flames  approaching :  '  Into  Thy  hands,  O 
Lord,  I  commend  my  spirit  /' 

Lord  Essex  was  only  thirty-three  when  he  died,  but  he  had 
gone  through  a  strange  career  of  court  and  camp,  sea  and  land, 
and  had  high  powers  and  aims  within  him,  which  had  made  him 
unfit  for  the  favouritism  which  had  spoiled  his  life.  Latterly 
his  religious  opinions  had  greatly  deepened,  and  they  enabled 
him  to  bear  himself  with  noble  resignation.  '  You  shall  see 
a  strong  God  in  a  weak  man,'  he  said  to  the  yeomen  of  the 
'I'ower,  whom  he  entreated  to  pray  for  him.  Eight  nobles  had 
seats  on  the  scaffold,  and  these  beheld  the  Earl  come  forth,  in 
all  his  manly  beauty  and  valour,  apparalled  in  a  gown  of 
wrought  velvet,  a  satin  suit,  and  felt  hat,  all  black,  with  a 
small  ruff,  and  attended  by  three  clergymen. 

All  the  way  he  prayed  aloud,  '  O  God,  grant  me  a  true  and 
earnest  repentance;  grant  me  patience  and  a  true  humility.' 
And  he  besought  the  prayers  of  those  about  him.  On  the 
scaffold  he  made  a  deeply  penitent  speech  in  Scriptural  terms, 
bewailing  the  sins  of  his  lifetime,  and  only  averring  that  he  had 
never  any  intention  of  harming  the  Queen.  He  ended  by 
beseeching  all  to  join  with  him  in  prayer  that  his  soul  might  be 
lifted  up  above  all  earthly  things. 

After  removing  his  cuff  and  collar  he  knelt  down,  and  the 
clergy  encouraged  him  against  the  fear  of  death. 

His  answer  was  a  very  brave  and  simple  one :  '  That  having 
been  divers  times  in  places  of  danger,  where  death  was  neither 
so  present  nor  so  certain,  he  had  felt  the  weakness  of  the  flesh, 
and  therefore,  in  this  great  conflict,  desired  God  to  assist  and 
strengthen  him.'    He  laid  his  neck  on  the  block,  saying,  '  Lord 


PSALM  XX XL  147 

Jesus,    into    Thy  hands   I  commit  my  spirit  f    and  in  a  few- 
seconds  more  his  head  was  severed  from  his  body. 

His  remains  were  laid  in  the  grave  between  those  of  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk  and  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  and  great  was  the 
lamentation  for  him,  for  unlike  his  step-father,  Leicester,  and, 
indeed,  most  other  royal  favourites,  he  had  been  greatly  be- 
loved of  the  people.  Two  ballads,  whose  quaintness  attest  that 
they  were  the  work  of  the  people,  still  exist,  one  beginning  thus  : 

*  Sweet  England's  prize  is  gone, 

Welladay,  welladay, 
Which  makes  her  sigh  and  groan, 

Evermore  still. 
He  did  her  fame  advance 

In  Ireland,  Spain,  and  France,  \ 

And  by  a  sad  mischance 

Is  from  us  ta'en.'* 

Fra  Salvestro,  the  friend  of  Savonarola,  uttered  these  w^ords 
on  his  w^ay  to  execution.  He  of  the  three  was  first  to  die,  and 
mounting  the  place  with  a  firm  step  in  silence,  but  '  with  some 
tears  in  his  eyes,'  and  murmuring,  '  Lord,  into  Thy  hands  I 
commend  my  spirit,'  he  gave  his  neck  to  the  executioner,  t 

The  Earl  of  Northumherlafid' s  recjuest  for  a  divine  of  the 
Queen's  was  perhaps  an  attempt  to  melt  her  heart;  but  he 
seems  at  heart  to  have  been  more  inclined  to  the  Catholic  faith 
than  to  the  Calvinism  he  so  boldly  avouched,  for  he  had  been 
known  to  say  to  Sir  Antony  Browne  that  *  he  certainly  thought 
best  of  the  old  religion,  but  seeing  a  new  one  begun,  run  dog, 
run  devil,  he  would  go  forward.'  Northumberland  made  a  long 
speech  on  the  scaffold,  in  which  he  upheld  the  Catholic  religion, 
and  expressed  much  contrition,  and  then  repeating  the  Miserere, 
De  Profundis  and  Paternoster,  laid  his  head  on  the  block  with 
the  words  *  Into  Thy  ha?ids  I  commend  my  spirit,'  and  adding 
that  he  deserved  a  thousand  deaths.:;: 

This  verse  was  the  last  spoken  on  earth  by  Silvio  Fellico. 
One  day  in  January,  1854,  he  dictated  the  broken  words: 
'  Adieu,   sister !     Adieu,   brother  !     Adieu,    dear   benefactors  ! 

*   Cameos  from  English  History.     Cameo  cxci. 

t  Life  of  Savonarola,  by  Prebendary  Clark,  p.  387. 

X   Caineos  from  English  History,  4th  series,  p.  189. 


148  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Yes,  adieu  !     We  all  go   to  God.     "  In  viamis  tuas  Domine 
com77iendo  spirittim  ineiwi"^ 

To  this  I  may  add  another,  the  gentle  and  holy  EkoJiore  de 
Roye^  Princessede  Conde.  On  July  23,  1564, '  la  Princesse  appela 
une  de  ses  femmes,  et  lui  diet  qu'elle  lui  estendit  les  jambres,  et 
soudain  elle  prononga  ces  derniers  mots,  "  Entre  tes  mains, 
Seigneur,  je  recommande  mon  ame." — ''^  Eptire  d^mie  dajnoiseUe 
fran^oise  a  une  sien?te  aime  dame  etr anger e^  suria  morte  d'excelleJite^ 
et  vertueuse  dame  Leo?ior  de  Roye^  Pri?icesse  de  Conde^  1564."  '* 

Extract  from  the  will  of  Bishop  Diipanloup^  of  Orleans. — 
'  In  the  name  of  the  Father  who  created  me  .  .  .  the  Son 
who  redeemed  me,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  who  sanctificed  me. 
.  .  .  The  hour  is  come  for  me  to  think  of  death  more  vividly 
than  I  have  hitherto  done.  Age  and  fatigue  make  me  foresee 
a  speedy  end.  The  sadness  of  the  present  times,  the  need  to 
rest  with  God,  and  especially  the  firm  hope  I  have  in  the 
energy  and  goodness  of  our  Lord,  make  me  look  forward  to 
the  close  of  life  with  confidence ;  with  fear  and  trembling  also, 
on  account  of  my  sins,  but  also  with  confidence  through  the 
infinite  merits  of  the  Blood  of  Him  who  died  for  me.  If  it 
should  please  God  to  receive  me  in  His  bosom,  in  spite  of  the 
innumerable  miseries  of  my  life,  I  bless  Him  beforehand,  and 
I  make  willingly  and  with  all  my  soul  the  sacrifice  of  my  life, 
on  the  day  and  hour  willed  by  Him,  in  expiation  for  the  evil 
I  have  done.  It  is  not  only  just,  but  sweet,  to  say  with  our 
Lord  on  the  Cross:  '"'' Pater  t  in  maniis  tuas  comniendo 
spiritum  meumP  't 

Edward  Perroiiet  was  Vicar  of  Shoreham,  Kent,  for  more 
than  fifty  years  ;  he  was  for  some  time  associated  with  the 
Wesleys,  but,  disliking  their  Arminian  tendencies,  he  joined 
Lady  Huntingdon's  Connexion,  and  he  so  displeased  her  by 
his  hostility  to  the  Church  of  England  that  he  left  her  and 
preached  to  a  congregation  of  Dissenters  till  his  death,  which 

*   The  Witness  of  the  Psalvis  to  Christ  and  Christianity^  p.  112. 
t  Life  of  Bishop  Dtcpanlozip,  vol.  ii.,  p.  517. 


PSALM  XXXI.  149 

occurred  at  Canterbury,  in  January,  1792.  He  was  the  author 
of  the  hymn  '  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  Name.'  His  dying 
words  were,  '  Glory  to  God  in  the  height  of  His  divinity  ; 
glory  to  God  in  the  depth  of  His  humanity ;  glory  to  God  in 
His  all-sufficiency  !     Into  His  hands  I commetid  my  spirit'* 

Verse  7.  I  have  hated  them  that  hold  of  superstitious  va?iities. 
— During  the  interregnum  in  the  see  of  Durham,  between  the 
translation  of  Bishop  Mounteigne  to  York,  in  1627,  and  the 
translation  of  John  Howson  from  Oxford  to  Durham,  a  great 
ritualistic  disturbance  took  place  at  Durham.  Before  Bishop 
Neile's  time  puritanism  had  reigned  triumphant  in  the 
Cathedral,  and  the  internal  arrangements,  and  the  mode  in 
which  divine  service  was  celebrated,  were  very  deficient  in 
reverence,  or  even  decorum.  All  over  England  the  puritan  party 
had  become  very  powerful,  and  their  zeal  very  bitter ;  everyone 
who  did  not  go  all  lengths  with  them  in  doctrine  was  stig- 
matized as  an  Arminian,  while  every  approach  to  order  or 
decency  in  worship  was  assailed  as  popery.  But  the  time  had 
now  come  when  energetic  efforts  were  to  be  made  to  restore 
the  beauty  of  holiness  in  the  worship  of  God.  There  was  one 
prebendary,  Peter  Smart  by  name,  who  thought  it  to  be  his 
duty  to  lift  up  his  voice  against  the  changes  which  had  taken 
place.  On  July  27th,  1628,  he  preached  in  the  Cathedral 
from  the  text,  '  /  have  hated  them  that  hold  of  superstitious 
vanities.''  In  this  sermon  he  inveighed  against  the  'innova- 
tions '  in  very  coarse  terms,  accusing  his  brethren  of  a  design 
to  introduce  popery,  and  indulging  in  many  personal  remarks, 
some  of  them  very  scurrilous.  ...  In  one  respect  the  sermon 
is  very  valuable,  as  it  gives  an  idea  of  what  the  state  of  the 
Cathedral  had  been,  and  of  the  changes  which  had  been  made. 
All  chanting  had  been  discouraged ;  the  congregation  did  not 
stand  at  the  Nicene  Creed,  which  was  not  sung,  but  read ; 
metrical  Psalms  from  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  including  Dean 
VVhittingham's  ditties,  were  sung  before  and  after  the  sermon  ; 

*  '  Hymns  and  Hymn-writers,'  Sunday  at  Home^  1861,  p.  203. 


50 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


the  holy  table  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  choir,  and,  it  may  be 
safely  concluded,  without  any  fence  to  protect  it  from  profane 
or  irreverent  use.  The  font  stood  within  the  choir.  What  is 
almost  incredible,  the  vestments  appear  to  have  been  taken 
out  of  the  Church  and  used  by  the  young  people  of  the  town 
in  their  sports.  Everything  was  ruinous,  filthy,  and  slovenly. 
Here  is  a  quotation  from  this  sermon  :  '  Duck  no  more  to  our 
Altar,  when  you  come  in  and  goe  out ;  I  assure  you  it  is  an  idol, 
a  damnable  idol  as  it  is  used.  .  .  .  Believe  not  these  Balaams 
which  lay  stumbling-blocks  in  your  way  to  make  you  fall  into 
spirituall  fornications,  telling  you  when  you  bow  to  the  Altar 
you  worship  God,  not  the  Altar,  for  so  answer  all  popish  and 
heathenish  idolaters.'* 

Verse  8.  /  will  be  glad  a?id  rejoice  in  Thy  mercy ^  for  Thou 
hast  considered  my  trouble. — It  is  to  this  verse  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  seems  to  refer  when  she  says  :  '  For  He  hath  regarded 
the  lowliness  of  his  handmaiden,'  words  almost  the  same  with 
the  LXX.  rendering  of  Thou  hast  considered  my  trouble. '\ 

Verse  8.   Thou  hast  knoivn  my  soul  in  adversity. 

'  Thou  know'st  our  bitterness — our  joys  are  Thine — 
No  stranger  Thou  to  all  our  wanderings  wild  ; 

Nor  could  we  bear  to  think  how  every  line 
Of  us,  Thy  darkened  likeness  and  defiled, 

Stands  in  full  sunshine  of  Thy  piercing  eye, 

But  that  Thou  call'st  us  brethren. 'J 

Verse  9.  Thou  hast  ?iot  shut  me  up  into  the  hand  of  the 
enemy :  but  hast  set  my  feet  in  a  large  room. 

'  Our  homes  are  here  too  narrow, 

Our  friends  are  far  apart, 
We  scarce  share  joy  or  sorrow 

With  the  desert  of  our  heart ; 
There  will  be  room  above 

In  our  great  Father's  hall, 
To  live  with  those  we  love 

Through  the  best  time  of  all.  § 


■^  Diocesan  History  of  Durham,  p.  251. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Cot/wientary,  vol.  i.,  p.  478. 

+  John  Keble. 

§  Dr.  Neale's  Covimentary^  vol.  i.,  p.  479. 


PSALM  XXXI.  151 

Ferse  11.  For  my  life  is  ivaxen  old  with  heaviness.— \vi<i\.^z.d. 
of  '  heaviness,'  the  Vulgate  translates,  '  My  strength  has  be- 
come weak  in  poverty  or  beggary,'  as  the  LXX.  has  it. 

Ayguan  complains  bitterly  how  true  that  was  in  his  time ; 
how  the  Church  was  weakened,  not  by  means  of  poverty,  but 
in  poverty  by  means  of  riches.  It  is  the  old  story  of  *  golden 
chalices  and  wooden  priests.'  Singularly  enough,  Parez  under- 
stands it  in  exacdy  the  opposite  sense.  This  commentator, 
living  in  a  most  worldly  age,  and  at  a  time  when  the  Church 
had  attained  a  degree  of  wealth  which  it  never  knew  before  or 
since,  appHes  this  text  to  her  sufferings  on  account  of  her 
poverty.  Truly  the  complaint  is  worthy  of  one  who  dedicated 
his  commentary  to  Cardinal  Roderick  de  Borgia,  afterwards 
Alexander  VI.-'' 

Verse  14.  I  am  clean  forgotten,  as  a  dead  man  out  of  tnind. 

'  Forgot  as  those  who  in  the  grave  abide, 

And  as  a  broken  vessel  past  repair, 
Slandered  by  many,  fear  on  every  side, 

Who  counsel  take  and  would  my  life  ensnare. 

*  But,  Lord,  my  hopes  on  Thee  are  fixed  ;  I  said  : 
*'  Thou  art  my  God,  my  days  are  in  Thy  hand ; 
Against  my  furious  foes  oppose  Thy  aid, 
And  those  who  persecute  my  soul  withstand." 't 

Ferses  15,  16. — I  have  heard  the  blasphemy  of  the  multitude, 
and  fear  is  on  every  side,  while  they  conspire  together  against 
me,  and  take  their  counsel  to  take  away  my  life.  But  my  hope 
hath  been  in  Thee,  O  Lord. — Archbishop  Laud,  on  hearing  the 
tenth  article  of  his  impeachment,  which  accused  him  of  having 
tried  to  reconcile  the  Church  of  England  to  the  See  of  Rome, 
and  of  having  held  intelligence  with  the  Jesuits  and  the  Pope, 
exclaimed :  '  I  am  in  the  prophet  David's  case,  for  /  (also) 
have  heard  the  multitude,  and  fear  is  on  every  side ;  while  they 
conspire  against  me,  and  take  counsel  to  take  away  my  life.  But 
my  hope  hath  been  {and  is)  in  Thee,  O  Lord.' 

-•'  Dr.  Neale's  Com77ienta7y,  vol.  i.,  p.  480. 
t  George  Sandys. 


152  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Ferse  1 7.  J/j'  ^^'^^'^  ^'^^  ^^^  ^'i^  ha7id.  —  A  Portuguese  Jew 
physician,  named  Lopez,  in  the  service  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
was  engaged  by  Philip  of  Spain  to  destroy  Elizabeth  at  once, 
and  so  procure  for  his  employer  'a  merry  Easter.'  Dr.  Lopez 
undertook  the  work  for  50,000  crowns,  and  he  further  de- 
manded large  marriage  portions  for  his  daughters.  The  deed 
was  delayed  because  Lopez  wanted  his  fee  paid  down,  and 
Philip  would  give  nothing  before  the  work  was  done.  It  was 
through  Antony  Bacon,  Secretary  to  Essex,  that  the  conspiracy 
was  discovered,  and  Essex  told  the  Queen.  The  Queen  was 
much  overcome  at  finding  how  great  her  danger  had  been,  and 
exclaimed  :  '  My  times  are  in  Thy  hand. ' 

Lopez  was  executed,  confessing  the  correspondence,  but 
denying  all  murderous  purpose  towards  the  Queen. "^ 

My  times  are  in  Thy  hand — the  hand  of  my  Saviour. 

'  I  report  as  a  man  may  of  God's  work — all's  love,  but  all's  law. 
In  the  Godhead  I  seek  and  I  find  it,  and  so  it  shall  be 
A  face  like  my  face  that  receives  thee,  a  Man  like  to  me 
Thou  shalt  love  and  be  loved  by  for  ever,  a  hand  like  this  hand 
Shall  throw  open  the  gates  of  new  life  to  thee  :  See  the  Christ  stand  /f 

Good  King  Henry  V.  recognised  the  blessedness  of  being 

able  to  place  his  confidence  where  alone  it  ought  to  be  placed, 

when,   with  reference  to   the  overwhelming   numbers    of   the 

French,  before  the  battle  of  Agincourt,  he  said  to  the  Duke  of 

Gloucester  : 

*  We  are  in  God's  hands,  brother,  not  in  theirs.' 

King  Heujy  l\,  Act  IIL,  Sc.  v.  j 

My  times  are  in  Thy  hand^  i.e.,  the  crises,  the  '  changes  and 
chances '  of  my  life.  Browning  glorifies  this  passage  by  inter- 
twining with  it  the  idea  of  development  ('  Rabi  Ben  Ezra,  st.  i). 
The  Psalmist  merely  thinks  of  life  as  a  series  of  hair-breadth 
escapes.^ 

At  the  death  0/  St.  Francis  de  Saks  someone  present  lamented 

*   Cameos  from  English  History,  cameo  clxxxvii. 

t  Robert  Browning. 

+  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  169. 

§   Dr.  Cheyne's  Covimentary,  p.  86. 


PSALM  XXXII.  153 

that  he  should  die  thus  in  the  flower  of  his  age.  '  Our  dear 
Lord  was  younger  than  I,'  Francis  answered  ;  ^  our  time  is  in 
His  Hand:"^ 

Verse  27.  Be  sfro?ig,  and  He  shall  establish  your  hearty  all 

ye  that  put  yo2ir  trust  in  the  Lord. 

*  Simple  rule,  and  safest  guiding, 
Inward  peace,  and  inward  light  ! 
Star  upon  our  path  abiding, 
Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right  !'t 


PSALM  XXXIL 

Heading  (DeHtzsch). — The  way  to  the  forgiveness  of  sins. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psahii  of  David  —  Concerning  the 
offence  of  Adam,  who  presumptuously  sinned ;  and  a  pro- 
phecy of  the  Messiah,  through  whom  we  are  dehvered  from 
Gehenna. 

Origiji  (Perowne). — -There  can  be  little  doubt,  I  think,  that 
this  Psalm  was  composed  after  Nathan  came  to  David. 
Psalm  li.  was  the  confession  of  his  great  sin,  and  the  prayer  for 
forgiveness.  This  Psalm  is  the  record  of  the  confession  made 
and  the  forgiveness  obtained,  and  the  conscious  blessedness  of 
his  position  as  a  son  restored  to  his  Father's  house. 

In  Church. — -In  the  Orthodox  Church  of  the  East,  at  Holy 
Baptism  and  Confirmation.  After  the  trine  immersion  this 
Psalm,  Beati  quorum,  is  sung  thrice.  In  the  Grceco- Russian 
Church  (page  72)  it  is  thus  described  :  After  the  child  has  been 
dipped  (at  Holy  Baptism),  'while  the  lady-nurse  and  god- 
mother are  covering  up  and  arranging  it  comfortably,  the  Priest 
washes  his  hands  by  having  the  glass  of  water  poured  over 
them,  and  wiping  them  on  the  towel  prepared,  singing  all  the 
time  the  32nd  Psalm  :  "  Blessed  is  he  whose  sins  are  covered  "  ' 
(see  on  Psalm  cxix.  for  others  on  Holy  Baptism  in  the  Graeco- 
Russian  Church). 

"-  St.  Francis  de  Sales, 
f  Norman  McLeod. 


154  PSALM-MOSAICS. 

In  the  Rojnan  Catholic  Church  this  Psalm  may  be  used 
(with  others)  in  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick."^ 

In  the  A?igiican  Church  it  is  the  second  Psalm  of  Matins. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  Confessions  of  St.  Augustine  end 
with  this  Psalm. 

One  of  the  Pauline  Psalms  according  to  Luther. 

Some  assert  that  this  Psalm  used  to  be  sung  on  the  day  of 
expiation.! 

The  Witness  of  the  Psabns  to  Justification, — It  will  be  re- 
membered how  St.  Paul  refers  us  to  the  32nd  Psalm.  When 
David  goes  to  the  root  of  his  acceptance  with  God,  he  can 
place  no  confidence  in  his  sin-stained  works.  '  To  him  that 
worketh  is  the  reward  not  reckoned  of  grace,  but  of  debt. 
But  to  him  that  worketh  not,  but  believeth  on  Him  that  justi- 
fieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted  for  righteousness.  Even 
as  David  also  describeth  the  blessedness  of  the  man  to  whom 
God  imputeth  righteousness  without  works,  saying,  Blessed 
are  they  whose  iniquities  are  forgiven,  and  whose  sin  is 
covered.  Blessed  is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  will  not 
impute  sin'  (Rom.  iv.  4-8).  Again  and  again  is  our  for- 
giveness brought  up  to  the  same  source  : 

'  There  is  forgiveness  with  Thee  that  Thou  mayest  be  feared  '  (cxxx.  4). 
'  Enter  not  into  judjjment  with  Thy  servant, 
For  in  Thy  sight  sliall  no  man  living  be  justified'  (cxliii.  2). J 

Verse  2.  Blessed  is  the  man  in  whose  spirit  is  ?io  guile. — 
Mr.  Izaak  Walton,  in  his  Lives,  closes  that  of  'Dr.  Robert 
Sanderson,  late  Lord  Bishop  of  Lincoln,'  w^ith  these  words  : 
'  1  hus  this  pattern  of  meekness  and  primitive  innocence 
changed  this  for  a  better  life.  'Tis  now  too  late  to  wish  that 
my  life  may  be  like  his,  for  I  am  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  my 
age;  but  I  humbly  beseech  Almighty  God  that  my  death 
may,  and  do  as  earnestly  beg  of  every  Reader  to  say.  Amen. 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile.''  '§ 

Dr.  Neale's  Couimenfary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  275. 
+  Robert  Leighton,  Meditatiois  on  Psalm  xxxii. 
\    Witness  of  the  Psabns  to  Christ  ami  Christianity,  p.  217. 
\    Walton's  Lives,  p.  402. 


PSALM  XXXIII,  155 

Verse  8.  Thou  art  a  place  to  hide  me  in ;  Thou  shalt  pre- 
serve mefroju  trouble  ;  lliou  shalt  compass  me  about  ivith  songs 
of  deliverance. — St.  Chrysostom  tells  us  that  in  his  time  this 
verse  was  sung  at  every  funeral,  as  it  is  in  the  Eastern  Church 
to  this  day ;  and  very  beautifully,  when  taken  in  connection 
with  the  9rst  Psalm,  also  then  recited  :  '  Whoso  dwelleth  under 
the  defence  of  the  Most  High,  shall  abide  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Almighty.'* 

PSALM  XXXIII. 

^^<^^/;?^(Delitzsch). — Praise  of  the  Ruler  of  the  World,  as 
being  the  Defender  of  His  people. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — In  its  literal  sense, 
concerning  those  whom  he  appointed  over  the  ministry  of  the 
Lord  ;  and  spiritually  as  respects  ourselves,  a  discourse  con- 
cerning the  glory  of  Deity. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  is  one  of  the  few  Psalms  in  the 
First  Book,  which  in  the  Hebrew  is  without  inscription. 

Verse  i.  Rejoice  in  the  Lord,  O  ye  righteous ;  for  it  be- 
come th  well  the  Just  to  be  thankful. — This  Psalm  has  from  the 
beginning  been  applied  to  the  martyrs,  as  it  is  said  now  on  the 
Festival  of  Many  Martyrs.  And  so  it  was  in  the  time  of 
St.  Augustine.  Thus  he  speaks  on  such  a  festival :  '  Ye  know 
that  which  we  have  just  been  singing.  Be  glad  in  the  Lord,  and 
rejoice,  O  ye  righteous.  If  the  righteous  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
the  unrighteous  only  rejoice  in  the  world.'! 

Verse  2.  Praise  the  Lord  with  harp. — Here  we  have  the 
first  mention  of  musical  instruments  in  the  Psalms. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  the  early  Fathers  almost  with  one 
accord  protest  against  their  use  in  churches ;  as  they  are  for- 
bidden in  the  Eastern  Church  to  this  day,  where  yet,  by  the 
consent  of  all,  the  singing  is  infinitely  superior  to  anything 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Connnentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  502. 
t   Ibid.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  507. 


156  PSALM-MOSAICS 

that  can  be  heard  in  the  West.  It  is  not  easy  to  determine 
when  they  were  first  introduced  into  the  West.  St.  Gregory  the 
Great  speaks  of  organs  ;  but  Amalarius  in  the  eighth  century, 
describing  the  use  of  the  Church  of  France,  says  that  no  in- 
struments were  employed.  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  seems  to  dis- 
approve them,  or  at  least  barely  tolerates  them  ;  and  the 
Church  of  Lyons,  which  held  more  faithfully  to  primitive 
practice  than  any  other  in  France,  admitted  them  only  in  the 
sixteenth  century.* 

Verse  4.  A//  His  works  are  dofie  in  truth  (Bible  version). 

'  Truth  is  in  each  flower, 
As  well  as  in  the  solemnest  things  of  God  ; 
Truth  is  the  voice  of  nature  and  of  time — 
Irtith  is  the  startling  monitor  within  us — 
Nought  is  without  it ;  it  comes  from  the  stars, 
The  golden  sun,  and  every  breeze  that  blows — 
Truth,  it  is  God  !  and  God  is  everywhere  !'t 

Verse  i  o.  TJie  Lord  .  .  .  inakeih  the  devices  of  the  people  to  be 
of  none  effect^  and  casteth  out  the  counsel  of  princes — Savonarola 
wished  to  bring  about  Monastic  Reform ;  and  to  this  end,  as 
a  beginning,  wished  to  have  the  Tuscan  congregation  of  the 
Dominican  order,  of  which  he  was  the  head,  and  which  was 
united  to  the  Lombard  Congregation,  freed  from  all  connec- 
tion with  Lombard,  as  it  had  been  in  times  past.  Accordingly 
Savonarola  sent  a  petition,  with  two  members  of  the  brother- 
hood of  St.  Mark,  to  Rome  to  plead  the  Tuscan  cause.  The 
Lombards  made  a  most  strenuous  opposition  to  the  separation, 
so  that  the  friends  of  Savonarola  wrote  and  told  him  that  they 
had  no  hope  of  succeeding.  '  Do  not  doubt,'  was  his  answer;  "  be 
brave,  and  you  will  have  the  victory :  "  The  Lord  .  .  .  viaketh 
the  devices  of  the  people  to  be  of  none  effect^  a?td  casteth  out  the 
counsel  of  pri?ices.^  After  all,  victory  was  obtained  in  a  way 
which  must  have  appeared  nothing  short  of  a  providential 
interposition.  The  Pope  had  dismissed  the  Consistory  in  con- 
sequence of  fatigue,  declaring  that  he  would  transact  no  more 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Conivientary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  509. 
f   William  Thomas  Bacon. 


PSALM  XXXIV.  157 

business  on  that  day.  The  Cardinal  of  Naples  alone  remained 
with  him,  and,  believing  that  he  had  found  a  moment  suitable 
for  urging  the  claims  of  the  Tuscans,  brought  forth  the  brief 
authorizing  separation,  and  entreating  the  Pope  to  confirm 
it.  After  some  pleasantries  and  altercations  on  the  subject,  the 
Cardinal,  in  play,  snatched  the  Pope's  ring  from  his  finger  and 
sealed  the  brief.  "^ 

Verse  20.    We  have  hoped  m  His  holy  Name. 

'  Jesu's  Name  all  good  doth  claim, 
vSweetest  sound  the  tongue  can  frame, 
Meriteth  imperial  fame, 

When  heard,  it  giveth  joy  ; 
In  it  a  Father's  glory  beams, 
In  it  a  Mother's  beauty  seems. 
In  it  a  Brother's  honour  gleams, 

It  lifteth  brethren  high.'f 

PSALM  XXXIV. 

Headmg  (Delitzsch). — Thanksgiving  and  teaching  of  one 
who  has  experienced  deliverance. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  first  ten  verses  are  a  Hymn,  and  the 
last  twelve  a  Sermon. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — When  he  goeth  into 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  giveth  the  first-fruits  to  the 
priests. 

Origin  (Perowne). — No  value  can  be  attached  to  the  super- 
scription, with  its  historical  reference,  because,  while  it  is  bor- 
rowed from  I  Sam.  xxi.  14,  Abimelech  is  substituted  for 
Achish,  which  looks  like  a  confusion  with  the  narrative  in 
Gen.  XX.,  xxi.  ;  and  further,  the  contents  of  the  Psalm  do  not 
very  readily,  or  naturally,  harmonize  with  the  supposed  circum- 
stances. 

In  Church. — In  the  Clementine  Liturgy  is  the  following 
Rubric :  '  Let  the  33rd  Psalm  (xxxiv.)  be  sung  while  all  the 

*  Clark's  Savonarola,  p.  143. 

t  The  Sequence  y^JWi-  dtilcis  Nazaremts. 


IS8  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Others  are  communicating.'  This  is  one  of  the  Psalms  said  at 
the  Fraction  in  St.  James  Liturgy,  while  a  sentence  from  it, 
'  O  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good,'  is  sung  by  the  choir 
immediately  before  the  Communion — a  rite  mentioned  by 
St.  Cyril  in  the  fourth  century  :  '  After  this  (the  Sancta  Sanctis) 
thou  hearest  him  who  sings  with  Divine  melody,  exhorting  you 
to  receive  the  holy  Mysteries,  and  saying,  '  O  taste  and  see 
how  gracious  the  Lord  is."*" 

In  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  on  Maundy  Thursday,  in 
the  reconcihation  of  Penitents,  Psalms  xxxiv.,  li.,  Ivi.  and  Ivii. 
are  used.f 

T/ie  G7'ceco-Russia7i  Churchy  true  to  the  rule  that  every 
undertaking  should  begin  with  prayer  and  end  with  thanks- 
giving, provides  children  about  to  begin  or  resume  their 
studies,  with  a  special  service  for  the  purpose  of  asking  the 
blessing  of  God  on  their  new  and  perhaps  unknown  duties. 
This  is  the  Service  :  A  Naloy  (a  small  movable  reading-desk) 
is  placed  in  the  body  of  the  Church,  and  holy  water  prepared. 
The  hymn  to  the  Holy  Ghost  forms  the  commencement;  it 
is  followed  by  Psalm  xxxiv.,  which  is  adapted  to  the  occasion 
in  a  remarkable  manner,  inciting  the  little  ones  as  it  does  to 
the  joys  of  religion.  '  O  taste  and  see  how  gracious  the  Lord 
is !  blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  Him  !  Come,  ye 
children,  and  hearken  unto  me :  I  will  teach  you  the  fear  of 
the  Lord.'  The  great  Litany  is  then  intoned  by  the  Deacon, 
with  special  petitions.  After  the  Litany  come  the  Epistle  and 
Gospel.  Before  the  reading  of  the  Epistle  (Eph.  i.  16-20  and 
iii.  18-21)  the  choir  always  sing  d^prokimon  or  preparatory  verse. 
On  this  occasion  we  must  admire  the  selection  made ;  it  is 
from  Psalm  viii.  3  (4),  '  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and 
sucklings  hast  Thou  ordained  praise  ;  My  heart  shall  rejoice 
in  Thy  salvation.  The  benediction  in  the  following  words 
concludes  this  beautiful  little  service  :  '  The  blessing  of  God 

*  Notitia  Eucharistica,  p.  759. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  269. 


PSALM  XXXIV.  159 

be  with  you,  and  His  grace  and  fulness  and  mercy,  now,  hence- 
forth and  for  ever.'  As  each  child  kisses  the  cross,  held  in 
one  hand  of  the  Priest,  he  is  sprinkled  with  holy  water  from 
the  brush  which  he  holds  in  the  other  hand.* 

T^e  Whole  Psalm.  —  In  Archbishop  Parker's  translation 
(1567),  the  title  and  argument  are  thus  given  : 

'  When  David  fled  to  Achish  kin^, 

The  door  of  death  he  was  full  near  ; 

When  saved,  he  this  psalm  did  sing, 

With  all  his  friends  in  godly  quire, 

To  God  his  Lord,  to  him  so  dear — 

Give  thanks  I  w^ill,  give  thanks  I  will, 

For  aye  to  God  most  gracious. 'f 

Bishop  Milmans  favourite  Psalm. 

The  Alphabetical  Psalms,  of  which  this  is  one,  the  psalmi 
abcedarii,  as  the  Latin  Fathers  called  them,  are  nine  in  number  ; 
and  I  cannot  help  thinking  it  is  a  pity  that,  except  in  the  single 
instance  of  the  hundred  and  nineteenth,  no  hint  of  their  exist- 
ence should  have  been  suffered  to  appear  in  our  authorised 
version.  I  will  not  take  it  upon  me  to  affirm  with  Ewald  that 
no  version  is  faithful  in  which  the  acrostic  is  suppressed  ;  but 
I  do  think  that  the  existence  of  such  a  remarkable  style  of 
composition  might  be  indicated  in  one  way  or  another,  and 
that  some  useful  purposes  are  served  by  its  being  actually  re- 
produced in  the  translation.; 

Mr.  Hapstone  has  endeavoured  to  imitate  the  alphabetical 
character  of  this  Psalm  in  his  metrical  version.  One  verse 
of  his  translation  will  suffice  : 

'  At  all  times  bless  Jehovah's  name  will  I  ; 
His  praise  shall  in  my  mouth  be  constantly. 
Boast  in  Jehovah  shall  my  soul  henceforth  ; 
Hear  it,  ye  meek  ones,  and  exult  with  mirth.' 

Verse  i.   /  tvill  ahvay  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord ;  His  praise 

shall  ever  be  in  my  mouth. — St.  Theodore  the  Martyr  sang  this 

verse  when  his  flesh  was  being  torn  by  scourges. § 

*  GrcBco- Russian  Church,  p.  160. 

t   Christ  and  His  Church  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,  by  A.  Bonar,  p.  115. 

%    The  Psalms  ;  their  History,  etc.,  by  Dr.  Binnie. 

§  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol  i.,  p.  526. 


i6o  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Izaak  Walton  in  his  Life  of  Dr.  Robert  Sanderson,  some 
time  Bishop  of  Lincohi,  says  :  '  And  this  humble  man  had  so 
conquered  all  repining  and  ambitious  thoughts,  and  with  them 
all  other  unruly  passions,  that,  if  the  accidents  of  the  day 
proved  to  his  danger  or  damage,  yet  he  both  began  and 
ended  it  with  an  even  and  undisturbed  quietness ;  always 
praising  God  that  he  had  not  withdrawn  food  or  raiment  from 
him  and  his  poor  family,  nor  suffered  him  to  violate  his  con- 
science for  his  safety,  or  to  support  himself  or  them  in  a  more 
splendid  or  plentiful  condition  ;  and  that  he  therefore  resolved 
with  David,  "  That  His  praise  should  be  ahvays  i?t  his 
viotith. "  '* 

Verse  3.  O  praise  the  Lord  with  me^  a?id  let  us  inagjiify  His 
name  together. — Walking  about  among  the  old  houses  of  Edin- 
burgh, nothing  was,  and  we  may  still  say  is,  more  noticeable 
than  the  frequent  inscriptions  over  houses ;  of  course  we  mean 
the  old  houses,  with  their  fantastic  timbers  and  stone  gables, 
strange  relics  of  a  forgotten  order  of  things.  A  handsome 
tenement  stands  not  far  from  the  Cowgate,  surmounted  with 
two  ornamental  gables,  bearing  on  them  the  initials  of  the  two 
builders,  and  over  the  main  doorway  the  inscription  :  '  Oh 
magnify  the  Lord  with  me,  and  let  us  exalt  His  name  together^ 
1643'  (in  Roman  characters).! 

Nicholas  Ferrar,  after  his  mother's  death  (1634),  increased 
his  austerities.  He  would  no  longer  go  to  bed,  but  lay  wrapped 
'  in  a  great  shag  black  frieze  gown,'  on  a  bear-skin  on  the  floor, 
for  the  few  hours'  sleep  which  he  allowed  himself ;  and  in  the 
coldest  weather  he  would  scarce  ever  sit  by  the  fire.  A  month 
before  his  own  death  '  he  willed  a  pallet  to  be  made  on  the 
floor  into  which  he  removed,  and  came  no  more  off  it. 

'  On  the  morning  of  Advent  Sunday  he  found  his  strength 
declining.  This  Sunday  was  the  first  Sunday  in  the  month,  the 
constant  usual  day  for  their  monthly  Communion.     He  ac- 

■^  Izaak  Walton  s  Lives,  p.  386. 

f  Scottish  Characteristics,  by  Paxton  Hood,  p.  217. 


PSALM  XXXIV.  i6i 

quainted  the  minister,  that  after  he  had  celebrated  it  at  the 
church,  he  would  come  home  and  give  it  to  him ;  for  now  it 
was  that  heavenly  food  was  his  only  stay,  strength,  and  joy  to 
receive.  As  for  earthly  food,  he  had  now  done  with  it ;  God 
would  ere  long  hear  his  prayers  and  the  humble  requests  of  his 
poor  soul.  To  this  end  and  like  effect  he  spake,  but  in  far 
better  expressions.  When  the  minister  came  to  give  it  him,  he 
desired  absolution,  having  made  again  a  most  full  and  lively 
expression  of  his  faith. 

'The  minister  said,  "Shall  I  give  it  you  in  the  words  of  the 
book  ?"  "  Ay,  ay,"  said  he  ;  "  nothing  better,  nothing  better  !" 
Then  he  received  in  most  devout  manner  the  Sacrament ; 
which  done,  gave  Almighty  God  most  humble  and  hearty 
thanks  for  this  inestimable  benefit  and  favour,  and  used  very 
effectual  words  to  that  purpose,  and  so  awhile  lay  very  silent  and 
still.  Later  on,  being  demanded,  "  if  the  ministers  should  be 
called,"  who  not  long  before  were  gone  out  of  the  chamber,  all 
supposing  he  had  been  asleep,  he  said :  "  Entreat  them  to 
come  in  and  pray  together."  Which  being  done,  he  desired 
them  to  say  that  prayer  for  a  dying  man ;  which  ended,  he 
being  by  them  demanded,  "  How  he  did  ?"  said,  "  Pretty  well, 
I  thank  my  God  and  you  ;  and  I  shall  be  better."  And  then 
he  lay  very  still  half  an  hour  and  more,  all  standing  by  him, 
supposing  him  to  be  in  a  fine  slumber.  But  afterwards  he,  on 
a  sudden,  casting  his  hands  out  of  the  bed  with  great  strength, 
and  looking  up  and  about,  with  a  strong  voice  and  cheerful, 
said  :  "  Oh,  what  a  blessed  change  is  here  !  What  do  I  see  ? 
Oh,  let  i^s  come  and  sing  unto  the  Lord,  and  magnify  His  holy 
Name  together.  I  have  been  at  a  great  feast.  Oh,  magnify  the 
Lord  with  me  !"  One  of  his  nieces  said  presently  :  '  At  a  feast, 
dear  father?'  "  Ay,"  replied  he;  ''at  a  great  feast,  the  great 
King's  feast."  And  this  he  uttered  with  as  sound  and  perfect 
voice  as  in  time  of  his  health.  While  all  stood  somewhat 
amazed  and  loth  to  interrupt  him,  if  he  should  say  more,  he 
laid  himself  down  most  quietly,  putting  his  hands  into  the  bed, 
laid   them   by  his   side,  and  then  shut  his  eyes,  and  in  this 

II 


1 62  PSALM-MOSAICS 

posture  laid,  his  legs  stretched  out,  most  sweetly  and  still. 
The  ministers  went  again  presently  to  prayers,  and  after  a  while 
they  said  that  prayer  again  (that  God  would  be  pleased  to  send 
His  angels  to  carry  his  soul  to  heaven),  all  kneeling  round 
about  his  pallet.  While  these  words  were  saying,  he  opened 
his  lips  and  gave  one  gasp ;  and  so,  not  once  moving  or  stirring 
hand,  foot,  or  eyes,  he  rendered  up  his  soul,  to  be  carried  in 
their  hands  into  his  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  bosom,  which  was 
that  he  so  often  prayed  for.  And  at  that  instant  the  clock 
struck  one,  the  hour  that  he  constantly  rose  up  every  morning 
to  praise  God  and  to  pray  unto  Him.  That  very  hour  and 
time  God,  you  see,  called  him  to  his  heavenly  kingdom  to 
praise  Him  everlastingly  with  the  blessed  angels  and  saints 
above,  and,  as  one  of  the  company  said,  "He  ended  the 
Sabbath  here  on  earth  to  begin  the  everlasting  Sabbath  in 
heaven."  "■' 

Verse  7.    The  a?igel  of  the  Loj'd  tarrieth  round  about  them  that 

fear  Ifun,  and  delivereth  the?n.—Th\s  is  the  first  time  that  in 

the  Psalter  we  read  of  the  ministrations  of  Angels.     But  many 

Fathers  rather  take  this  passage  of  the  'Angel  of  the  Great 

Counsel,'  and  gloriously  to  Him  it  applies.! 

Phylacteries. — The  virtues  of  these  appendages  are  described 
in  the  Talmud  to  be  very  great.  Whosoever  has  the  tephillhn 
bound  to  his  head  and  arm,  and  the  tsitsith  thrown  over  his 
garments,  and  the  inezuzah  fixed  on  his  door-post,  is  protected 
from  sin ;  for  these  are  excellent  talismans,  and  the  angels 
rescue  him  from  sin,  as  it  is  written  :  '  The  a?igel  of  the  Lord 
tarrieth  ronnd  about  them  that  fear  Him,  and  delivereth  the?n ' 
(Psalm  xxxiv.  7).  The  mezuzah  is  a  piece  of  vellum,  on  which 
are  written  two  portions  of  Scripture  in  Hebrew,  viz.,  Deut.  vi. 
4-9  and  xi.  13-20.  The  vellum  is  rolled  up  with  the  ends  of 
the  lines  inward.  The  Hebrew  word  Shaddai,  one  of  the  names 
of  the  Almighty,  is  written  on  the  outside.     The  roll  is  then 

*  Life  of  Nicholas  Ferrar,  pp.  267,  269. 
t  Dr-  Neale's  Conwientary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  534. 


PSALM  XXXIV.  163 

put  in  a  glass  tube  or  tin  case,  in  which  a  hole  is  cut,  through 
which  the  word  Shaddai  may  be  seen  by  the  passers-by.  This 
title  is  fastened  to  the  door-post  by  a  nail  at  each  end.  ^= 

Verse  8.  O  taste  ajid  see  how  gracious  the  Lord  is. — In  the 
Bible  to  '  taste  '  is  used  metaphorically,  as  in  this  Psalm.  So 
again  in  King  Henry  V.  we  read  : 

'  And  not  a  man  of  them  that  we  can  take, 
Shall  taste  our  mercy.' 

Act  IV.,  So.  vii.t 

Verses  9,  10.    O  fear  the  Lord,  ye  that  are  Lfis  saints,  for 
they  that  fear  LLim  lack  nothing.      The  lions  do  lack  and  suffer 
hunger ;  but  they  who  seek  the  Lord  shall  want  no  inanner  of 
thing  that  is  good. — Many  miracles  were  attributed  to  St.  Cuth- 
bert  by  the  loving  credulity  of  his  contemporaries.     Some  of 
these  are  picturesque,  if  not  poetical.  He  is  going  to  a  distance 
to  preach,  with  a  boy  for  his  companion.     While  yet  far  from 
their  destination  they  begin  to  be  hungry,  but  know  of  no  one 
on  their  road  who  can  offer  them  hospitality.     '  Learn,  my  son,' 
Cuthbert  tells  his  companion,  '  to  have  faith  in  God,  for  he 
that  serves  Him  never  perishes  with  hunger '  (clearly  alluding 
to  Psalm  xxxiv.  9,    10).      An  eagle  flies  past,  and  Cuthbert 
•says  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  God  to  make  her  minister  to 
their  wants.     Presently  the  eagle  alights  by  the  side  of  a  river, 
the  boy  is  sent  to  see  if  she  has  provided  anything,  and  returns 
with  a  fish  of  some  size  ;  he  is  reproved  for  bringing  the  whole, 
their  nwiister  must  have  her  share ;  the  fish  is  cut  in  two,  and 
half  left  for  the  eagle  ;  the  rest  is  taken  to  the  nearest  dwelling, 
where  it  is  roasted,  and  they  feast  on  it,  sharing  it  with  the 
people  of  the  house,  while  Cuthbert  preaches  the  Word  of  God 
to  them,  and  praises  Him  for  all  His  benefits.; 

Verses  10,  11.    They  ivho  seek  the  Lord  shall  wa?it  no  manner 
^f  thing  that  is  good.      Come,  ye  children,  and  hearken  mi  to  me. — 

*  '  Pictures  from  Jewish  Life,'  Sunday  at  Home,  1877,  p.  487. 

t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible. 

X  Diocesan  History  of  Dnrhain,  p.  63. 


i64  PSALM-MOSAICS 

The  last  days  of  Columba  were  full  of  comfort  and  rest.  Per- 
ceiving the  sorrow  of  one  ot  th3  brethren  on  whose  arm  he 
leant  for  support,  he  said  :  '  This  day  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures 
is  called  Sabbatum,  or  rest,  and  truly  will  it  be  a  day  of  rest 
to  me,  for  this  day  shall  I  bid  farewell  to  the  toils  of  my  life, 
and  enter  into  the  rest  of  heaven.  For  now  my  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  deigns  to  invite  me,  and  to  Him  shall  I  at  midnight 
depart.'  Then  the  two  turn  back  towards  the  monastery ; 
.  .  .  descending,  they  entered  the  little  watrled  hut,  and  the  saint 
began  to  transcribe  the  34th  Psalm ;  but  on  coming  to  the 
words  in  the  eleventh  verse,  *  They  who  seek  the  Lord  shall 
want  no  mafiner  of  thing  that  is  good,'  he  remarked  that  he 
had  come  to  the  end  of  a  page,  and  to  a  place  where  he  might 
well  stop.  'The  next  words,'  said  he,  "■  Co7Jie,  ye  children^ 
hearken  imto  w<?,"  belong  rather  to  my  successors  than  to 
myself.'  Then,  rising,  he  went  to  vespers,  and  w^hen  they  were 
ended  returned  to  his  cell,  and  sent  his  last  exhortation  by  his 
companion  to  his  disciples,  urging  them  to  mutual  love  and 
goodwill,  and  expressing  his  hope  of  meeting  them  hereafter.* 

Verses  12,  13.  What  man  is  he  that  lusteth  to  live;  and 
would  fain  see  good  days  ?  Keep  thy  tongue  fro7n  evil,  afid  thy 
lips  that  they  speak  no  guile. — It  is  told  of  Rabbi  Jehudah  the 
Holy,  that  he  proclaimed  one  day  in  the  market-place  that  he 
had  by  him  an  elixir  of  life,  which  had  the  power  of  renewing 
youth  and  prolonging  existence.  A  great  crowd  assembled  at 
his  house  to  obtain  the  precious  fluid,  and  leading  them  in,  he 
opened  the  Psalter  and  read  the  verses  :  '  What  man  is  he  that 
lusteth  to  live  ;  and  would  fain  see  good  days  ?  Keep  thy  tongue 
from  evil,  and  thy  lips  that  they  speak  no  gitile.^\ 

Verse  15.  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  over  the  righteous,  and 
ILis  ears  are  open  unto  their  prayers. — Milton,  in  his  description 
of  the  contrition  of  our  first  parents,  illustrates  this  verse  : 


*  Apostles  of  Medicrval  Europe,  by  Dr.  Maclear,  p.  55. 
t   Dr.  Neale's  Covimcntary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  343. 


PSALM  XXXV.  165 

'  How  much  more,  if  we  pray  Him,  will  His  ear 
Be  open,  and  His  heart  to  pity  incline  !' 

Paradise  Lost^  x. 

And  again,  more  perfectly,  in  the  Saj}iso?i  Agonistes  : 

' .  .  .  Despair  not  of  his  final  pardon, 
Whose  ear  is  ever  open,  and  His  eye 
Gracious  to  re-admit  the  suppliant.'* 

Verse  17.  The  righteous  cry,  and  the  Lord  hear eth  them,  and 
delivereth  them  out  of  all  their  troubles. — This  verse,  no  doubt, 
is  one  reason  why  the  Psalm  in  which  it  occurs  is  appropriated 
to  the  Commemoration  of  Martyrs.  DeUvered  out  of  all  their 
troubles  they  are,  not  in  the  earthly  sense  of  liberation  ;  but, 
as  the  ancient  poem  says  : 

*  By  one  short  hour  of  death  and  pain 
Life  everlasting  they  obtain. 't 


PSALM  XXXV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Call  to  arms  against  ungrateful  per- 
secutors— addressed  to  God. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David  ;  literally  referring  to 
his  pursuit  of  the  Edomites  ;  also  the  supplication  of  the 
righteous. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm,  if  it  be,  as  the  inscription 
tells  us,  a  Psalm  of  David,  must  have  been  composed  either 
during  his  persecution  by  Saul,  or  during  the  revolt  of  Absalom. 
It  is  usual  to  connect  it  with  his  words  in  i  Sam.  xxiv.  15  (16), 
^Jehovah  therefore  be  judge,  and  judge  between  me  and 
thee,  and  see,  and  plead  my  cause '  (the  same  expression  as 
in  verse  i  of  the  Psalm),  '  and  deliver  me  by  His  judgment  out 
of  thine  hand.' 

Whole  Psalm.— T\A%  is  the  second  of  the  Passion  Psalms  \ 
the  first  being  Psalm  xxii.  So  highly  did  the  African  Church 
esteem  it,  that  it  was  given  to  St.  Augustine  by  his  fellow- 
Bishops  to  write  a  treatise  on.]: 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  1 14. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Couwientary,  vol.  i.,  p.  541' 
X  Ibid.,  p.  548. 


1 66  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  i.  Plead  Thou  my  cause,  O  Lord,  with  them  that  strive 
with  me,  and  fight  Thou  against  them  that  fight  against  me. — At 
the  first  General  Convention  at  Philadelphia,  to  give  proper 
dignity  and  solemnity  to  the  proceedings  of  the  House,  it  was 
moved  on  the  following  day  that  each  morning  of  the  Session 
should  be  opened  with  prayer.  To  this  it  was  demurred  that,  as 
the  delegates  were  of  different  religious  sects,  they  might  not 
consent  to  join  in  the  same  form  of  worship.  Upon  this  Mr. 
Samuel  Adams  arose  and  said,  '  he  would  willingly  join  in 
prayer  with  any  gentleman  of  piety  and  virtue  whatever  might 
be  his  cloth,  provided  he  was  a  friend  of  his  country ;'  and  he 
moved  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Duche,  of  Philadelphia,  who 
answered  to  that  description,  might  be  invited  to  officiate  as 
chaplain.  This  was  one  step  to  unanimity  of  feeling,  Mr. 
Adams  being  a  strong  Congregationalist,  and  Mr.  Duche  an 
eminent  Episcopalian  clergyman.  The  motion  was  carried 
into  effect ;  the  invitation  was  given  and  accepted.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  a  rumour  reached  Philadelphia  that  Boston 
had  been  cannonaded  by  the  British.  It  produced  a  strong 
sensation,  and  when  Congress  met  on  the  following  morning 
(7  th)  the  effect  was  visible  in  every  countenance. 

The  delegates  from  the  East  were  greeted  with  a  warmer 
grasp  of  the  hand  by  their  associates  from  the  South.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Duche,  according  to  invitation,  appeared  in  his 
canonicals  attended  by  his  clerk.  The  morning  service  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  was  read  with  great  solemnity,  the  clerk 
making  the  responses.  The  Psalter  for  the  7th  day  of  the 
month  includes  the  35th  Psalm,  wherein  David  prays  for  pro- 
tection against  the  enemies  :  '  l^lead  Thou  ?ny  cause,  O  Lord,  with 
them  that  st?'ive  with  me :  fight  against  them  that  fight  against 
me.  Take  hold  of  shield  and  buckler,  and  stand  up  for  my  help. 
Draw  out  also  the  spear  and  stop  the  way  of  them  that  perse- 
cute me.      Say  unto  my  soul,  I  am  thy  salvation.  .   .  .' 

The  imploring  words  of  this  Psalm  spoke  the  feelings  of  all 
hearts  present,  but  especially  of  those  from  New  England. 
John  Adams   writes,   in   a  letter  to   his  wife :  '  You  must  re- 


PSALM  XXXV.  167 

member  this  was  the  morning  after  we  heard  the  horrible  rumour 
of  the  cannonade  of  Boston.  I  never  saw  a  greater  effect  upon 
an  audience.  It  seemed  as  if  Heaven  had  ordained  that  Psalm 
to  be  read  on  that  morning.* 

Verse  9.  Aftd,  my  soul,  he  joyful  in  the  Lord ;  it  shall  rejoice 
in  His  salvatio7i. — St.  James,  surnamed  Intercisus,  was  a  native 
of  Beth-Lapeta,  a  royal  city  of  Persia,  and  a  nobleman  of  the 
first  rank.  The  king,  Vararanes,  condemned  him  to  a  most 
cruel  death,  because  he  would  not  renounce  the  faith  of 
Christ. 

At  the  place  of  execution  the  heathen  conjured  him,  with  the 
most  passionate  and  moving  expressions  and  gestures  to  dis- 
semble his  religion  only  for  the  present  time,  saying  he  might 
immediately  return  to  it  again.  The  martyr  answered  them, 
'  This  death,  which  appeared  to  them  to  wear  so  dreadful  a  face, 
was  very  little  for  the  purchase  of  eternal  life.'  As  each  limb 
was  cut  off,  he  prayed,  '  O  Saviour  of  Christians,  receive  a 
branch  of  the  tree.  It  will  putrefy,  but  will  bud  again,  and,  as 
I  am  assured,  will  be  clothed  with  glory.'  And  again  :  '  The 
vine  dies  in  winter,  yet  revives  in  spring :  and  shall  not  the 
body  when  cut  down  sprout  up  again  ?'  When  his  first  finger 
was  cut  off,  he  cried  out,  '  Aly  heart  hath  rejoiced  in  the  Lord; 
and  77iy  soul  hath  exulted  in  His  salvation.  Receive,  O  Lord, 
another  braftich.'  At  the  end,  'lying  a  naked  trunk,  and 
having  already  lost  half  his  body,  he  still  continued  to  pray, 
and  praise  God  with  cheerfulness,  till  a  guard,  by  severing  his 
head  from  his  body,  completed  his  martyrdom.  This  was 
executed  on  the  27th  of  November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
421,  the  second  of  King  Vararanes. 

The  triumph  of  this  illustrious  penitent  and  martyr  has,  in 
all  succeeding  ages,  been  most  renowned  in  the  Churches  of 
the  Persians,  Syrians,  Copts,  Greeks,  and  Latins. f 

*  Life  of   Washington^    by  Washington   Irving,    vol.    i.,   chap,    xxxv., 

P-  341- 

t  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints. 


i68  PSALM -MOSAICS 

Verse  12.  They  rewarded  me  evil  for  good^  to  the  great 
discomfort  of  viy  soul. — In  the  month  of  June,  181 5,  while  at 
Heidelberg,  the  (then)  Emperor  Alexander  of  Russia  handed 
M.  Empeytaz,  of  Geneva  (who  had  passed  many  years  in  the 
household  of  Madame  de  Krudener),  a  Bible,  and  asked  him 
to  read  Psalm  xxxv.  When  he  came  to  the  passage :  '  They 
rewarded  ??ie  evil  for  good,  to  the  great  discomfort  of  my  soul. 
Nevertheless,  when  they  were  sick,  I  put  on  sackcloth,  and 
humbled  my  soul  with  fasting.  ...  I  behaved  myself  as  though 
it  had  been  my  friend  or  my  brother  ;  I  went  heavily,  as  one 
that  mourneth  for  his  mother,'  he  said  :  '  I  pray  day  and  night 
for  my  enemies,  and  I  feel  I  can  love  them  as  the  Gospel 
enjoins  me  to  do.'  At  the  words,  '  Awake  to  my  judgment, 
even  unto  my  cause,  my  God  and  my  Lord,'  he  added,  '  God 
7vill  do  this ;  of  that  I  am  firmly  convinced.  The  cause  for 
which  we  are  fighting  is  His  cause ;  for  we  have  no  other 
object  than  the  happiness  of  nations.  May  God  but  grant  me 
the  grace  to  be  able  to  procure  peace  for  Europe,  and  gladly 
will  I  give  up  my  life  for  it  !'* 

Verse  14.  His  mother. — Mahomet  was  once  asked  what 
relation  had  the  strongest  claim  upon  our  affection  and  respect, 
when  he  instantly  replied,  'The  mother,  the  mother,  the 
mother.' 

Verse  1 5 .    Yea,  the  abjects  gathered  themselves  together  agaifist 

me. 

'  We  are  the  queen's  abjects,  and  must  obey.' 

King  Richard  III.,  Act  I.,  Sc.  i. 

i.e.^  treated  by  her  as  abjects^  or  vile  perso?is,  rather  than  as 
subjects  ought  to  be  treated. 

This  word  occurs  once  in  the  Bible,  and  once  in  Shake- 
speare.! 

*    IVesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  April,  1863,  p.  291. 
t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  chap.  ii. ,  p.  29. 


PSALM  XXXVI,  169 


PSALM  XXXVI. 

IIeadi7ig  {X^eWtzsch). — The  curse  of  Alienation  from  God, 
and  the  Blessing  of  Fellowship  with  Him. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Song  of  Happy  Service. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  while  Saul  was  pur- 
suing him ;  signifying  to  us  the  rebuke  of  our  enemies,  and, 
moreover,  containing  a  discourse  concerning  Deity. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  not  so  distinct  in  its 
features  that  we  can  assign  it  to  any  particular  occasion  in  the 
life  of  David,  or  associate  it  with  any  definite  period  of  Jewish 
history. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — For  an  aspect  of  Nature  from  another 
side,  take  the  36th  Psalm.  As  if  reeling  from  a  cavern,  the 
Psalmist  looks  out  from  his  heart  at  the  cupola  of  the  deep 
blue  sky  over-vaulting  the  hills.  They  remind  him  of  his  God  ; 
he  thinks  of  an  unchanging  youth  and  fulness  of  beauty.  The 
same  thought  was  in  his  soul  when  he  wrote,  '  Thou  shalt 
make  them  drink  of  the  river  of  Thy  pleasures,'  as  in  his  who, 
more  than  two  thousand  years  after,  cried  to  the  new-born 
cataract : 

'  Unperishing  youth  ! 

Thou  leapest  from  forth 

The  cell  of  thy  hidden  nativity, 

Thou  at  once  full- born, 

Madden'st  in  thy  joyaunce.' 

Then  follow  words  whose  depth  and  beauty  no  thought  can 
fathom — the  blended  images  of  the  fountain  rising  with  drifted 
spray  and  deHcate  shadows  cast  on  the  silver  jet ;  the  light  in 
which  it  sparkles  ;  the  life  which  is  the  sum  of  all  we  yearn 
for,  which  the  great  sculptor  Carpeau  cried  for  in  the  death 
agony  :  '  La  vie  !  la  vie  !'  —  those  images  which  reach  their 
height  only  in  the  Christian  theology  of  the  Holy  and  Blessed 
Trinity  : 


170  PSALM. MOSAICS 

*  With  Thee  is  the  fountain  of  Life  ; 
In  Thy  Light  shall  we  see  Light.'* 

Verses  3,  4.  The  words  of  his  mouth  are  unrighteous^  a7id 
full  of  deceit ;  he  hath  left  off  to  behave  himself  wisely^  and  to 
do  good.  He  imagineth  mischief  upon  his  bed^  and  hath  set 
himself  in  no  good  way ;  7ieither  doth  he  abhor  anything  that 
is  evil. 

'  Yet  did  he  spare  his  sleep,  and  hear  the  clock 
Number  the  midnight  watches,  on  his  bed 
Devising  mischief  more  ;  and  early  rose, 
And  made  most  hellish  meals  of  good  men's  names. 
From  door  to  door  you  might  have  seen  him  speed, 
Or  placed  amid  a  group  of  gaping  fools. 
Peace  fled  the  neighbourhood  in  which  he  made 
His  haunts  ;  and,  like  a  moral  pestilence. 
Before  his  breath  the  healthy  shoots  and  blooms 
Of  social  joy  and  happiness  decayed. 
Fools  only  in  his  company  were  seen, 
And  those  forsaken  of  God,  and  to  themselves 
Given  up.     The  prudent  shunned  him  and  his  house 
As  one  who  had  a  deadly  moral  plague.' 

Robert  Pollock,  1799 — 1827. 

Verses  5-9.  Thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  r cache th  unto  the  heavens, 
and  Thy  faithfulness  unto  the  clouds.  .  .  .  For  with  Thee  is  the 
zvell  of  life  ;  a?id  in  Thy  light  shall  ive  see  light. 

'Thy  mercie,  Lord,  doth  to  the  FIEAUENS  extend, 
Thy  faithfulness  doth  to  the  CLOUDES  assend  ; 
Thy  justice  stedfast  as  a  MOUNTAINE  is, 
Thy  JUDGEMENTS  deepe  as  is  the  great  Abisse  ; 
Thy  noble  mercies  saue  all  liueinge  thinges. 
The  sonnes  of  men  creepe  underneath  Thy  winges  : 
With  Thy  great  plenty  they  are  fedd  at  will, 
And  of  Thy  pleasure's  streame  they  drinke  their  fill  ; 
For  euen  the  well  of  life  remaines  with  Thee, 
And  in  Thy  glorious  light  we  light  shalt  see.'t 

Verse  8.  Thou  shalt  oroe  them  drink  of  Thy  pleasures,  as  out 
of  the  river.— ^i.  Augustine  tells  us  that  one  day  he  was  about 
to  write  something  upon  the  eighth  verse  of  the  36th  Psalm, 
'  Thou  shalt  make  them  drink  of  the  rivers  of  Thy  pleasures/ 
and  being  almost    swallowed    up   with  the    contemplation   of 

*    Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  194. 
T  Sir  John  Davies,  1569- 1626. 


PSALM  XXXVI.  171 

heavenly  joys,  one  called  unto  him  very  loudly  by  his  name ; 
and,  inquiring  who  it  was,  he  answered :  '  I  am  Hierom,  with 
whom  in  thy  life-time  thou  hadst  so  much  conference  concern- 
ing doubts  in  Scripture,  and  am  now  best  experienced  to 
resolve  thee  of  any  doubts  concerning  the  joys  of  heaven. 

*  But  only  let  me  first  ask  thee  this  question,  *'  Art  thou  able 
to  put  the  whole  earth,  and  all  the  waters  of  the  sea,  into  a  httle 
pot  ?  Canst  thou  measure  the  waters  in  thy  fist,  and  mete  out 
heaven  with  thy  span  ?  or  weigh  the  mountains  in  scales,  and 
the  hills  in  a  balance  ?  If  not,  no  more  is  it  possible  that  thy 
understanding  should  comprehend  the  least  of  those  joys.'"^ 

Verse  9.  In  Thy  light  shall  we  see  light  is,  of  course,  the 
basis  of  that  clause  in  the  Nicene  creed,  '  Light  of  Light.'! 

Frederick  Locker : 

'  From  mother  Earth's  green  orchard  trees 

The  fairest  fruit  is  blown  ; 
The  lad  was  gay  who  shimbers  near, 

The  lass  he  loved  is  gone  : 
Death  lifts  the  burden  from  the  poor, 

And  will  not  spare  the  throne. 

*  And  vainly  are  we  fenced  about 

From  peril  ;  day  and  night 

The  awful  rapids  must  be  shot, 

Our  shallop  is  but  slight  ; 
So  pray,  when  parting,  we  descry 
A  cheering  beacon-light.' 


PSALM  XXXVIL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  seeming  prosperity  of  the  wicked 
and  the  real  prosperity  of  the  Godly. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — concerning  them  that 
say.  Wherefore  doth  not  the  Lord  take  vengeance  upon  the 
insolent  ? 

;..,    The  Whole  Psalm. — Tertullian  calls  this  Psalm  '■  Frovidentice 

*  Spencer  :    The  Biblical  Museum. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Conuiientary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  578- 


172  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Speculum^;   Isidore,    ^  Fotio  cont7'a  murnmr^ ;   Luther,    ^  Vestis 
pioriim  cut  adscriptum  :  His  sa?ictoriiin  patientia  est.^'^ 

St.  Augustine's  comme?itary  (on  this  Psahn)  is  chiefly  remark- 
able on  this  account,  that  from  its  perusal  St.  Fulgentius  is  said 
to  have  been  converted.! 

Origen  seems  to  have  valued  this  Psalai  above  all  others,  call- 
ing it  the  most  precious  medicine  of  the  human  soul.:}: 

This  Psalm  may  well  be  styled.  The  good  man's  cordial  in 
bad  times ;  a  sovereign  plaister  for  the  plague  of  discontent ;  or 
a  choice  antidote  against  the  poison  of  impatience.§ 

In  the  war  with  Napoleon,  in  1812,  when  the  news  arrived 
at  Heidelberg  of  the  advantages  gained  by  the  French  over  the 
alHed  armies,  all  those  about  the  Russian  Emperor  were  filled 
with  alarm,  almost  with  despondency;  but  he  himself  relied 
with  unshaken  confidence  on  the  Divine  protection,  and  made 
his  supplication  for  strength  and  counsel.  After  a  fervent 
prayer  he  took  up  the  Bible,  opened  it  at  Psalm  xxxvii.,  and 
read,  and  then  hastened  to  his  allies,  exhorted  them  to  be  of 
good  cheer,  and  marched  against  the  enemy.H 

Ve7'se  3.  Put  thou  thy  ti'ust  i7i  the  Lord. — The  motto  of  Don 
Manuel,  King  of  Portugal,  was  '  Spera  in  Domino.^  He  mis- 
spelt sphera,  and  so  surmounted  all  the  Churches  of  his  time 
in  Portugal  with  a  sphere — intending  it  as  an  emblem  of  hope, 
not,  as  the  casual  visitor  is  so  apt  to  take  it,  in  the  sense  of  the 
world.  H 

Verse  5.     Cominit  thy  way  irnto  the   Lord. — '  Give  to  the 

winds  thy  fears.'     This  is  John  Wesley's  translation  (1739)  of 

part  of  Paul  Gerhard's  most  popular  hymn  : 

'  Commit  thou  all  thy  griefs 
And  ways  into  His  hands.' 

*   TJlc  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  307. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Commeiitaiy,  vol.  i.,  p.  583. 

X  Ibid. 

§  Nathaniel  Hardy  in  a  Ficnei-al  Ser}iio)i,  1649. 

ir  IVesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  April,  1863,  p.  291. 

IT  Dr.  Neale's  Coijunentary,  vol.  i.,  p.  584. 


PSALM  XXXVII.  173 

It  is  said  to  have  been  written  at  the  time  when,  owing  to  his 
views  differing  from  those  of  the  King,  he  was  ordered  to  quit 
the  country.  He  went,  in  reduced  circumstances,  with  his 
wife,  on  foot.  One  night,  on  seeking  a  refuge  in  a  village  inn, 
his  wife,  affected  by  their  altered  condition,  burst  into  tears. 
Then  the  poet  reminded  her  of  the  verse  '  Commit  thy  way 
unto  the  Lord'  (Psalm  xxxvii.  5),  and,  retiring  to  an  arbour, 
wrote  this  hymn  upon  these  words.  The  same  night  two 
gentlemen  arrived  who  had  come  by  order  of  Duke  Christian  of 
Meneberg  to  invite  the  poet  to  Meneberg,  and  to  inform 
him  that  the  Duke  had  settled  a  considerable  pension  on  him 
as  a  compensation  for  the  injustice  of  which  he  was  the  victim. 
Gerhard  then  gave  his  wife  the  hymn  he  had  written  in  trouble, 
but  in  faith,  and  said,  '  See  how  God  provides.  Did  I  not  bid 
you  to  trust  in  God,  and  all  would  be  well  ?' 

Verse  25.  /  have  been  yoimg^  and  noiv  am  old ;  and  yet  saw 
I  never  the  righteous  forsaken,  izor  his  seed  begging  their  bread. — 
Dr.  Clarke,  with  touching  expression,  says :  '  I  am  now  grey- 
headed myself,  I  have  travelled  in  different  countries,  and  have 
had  many  opportunities  of  seeing  and  conversing  with  religious 
people  in  all  situations  of  life,  and  have  not,  to  my  knowledge, 
seen  one  instance  to  the  contrary.  I  have  seen  no  righteous 
man  forsaken,  nor  any  children  of  the  righteous  begging  their 
bread.'"^ 

Verse  27.  Flee  from  evil,  and  do  the  thing  that  is  good, 
and  dwell  for  evermore. — The  manner  of  life  at  Little  Gidding, 
where  saintly  Nicholas  Ferrar  set  such  an  example  of  nearness 
to  God,  was  as  simple  as  it  was  devout,  and  so  were  the  sur- 
roundings. '  The  house '  in  which  they  all  lived  (the  Hall) 
'  was  furnished  with  the  utmost  plainness  and  simplicity,  and 
had  a  grave  religious  aspect,  befitting  the  life  which  its  inmates 
had  chosen.  Even  the  walls  are  not  idle,  but  something  is 
written  or  painted  there  which  may  excite  the  reader  to  a 
thought  of  piety. 

*  Daily  Comments  on  the  Psalms,  by  B.  Bourchier,  vol.  i.,  p.  255. 


174  PSALM -MOSAICS 

'A  brass  plate  affixed  to  the  outer  door  bore  the  words, 
^^  Flee  from  evil,  and  do  good,  and  divell  for  evermore/'  and 
in  the  parlour,  in  which  it  was  the  custom  of  the  family  to 
receive  strangers,  a  tablet  was  placed,  admonishing  all  comers 
in  what  temper  of  mind  they  should  visit  this  devout  house- 
hold.' 

In  the  September  of  the  year  in  which  the  English  Poly- 
glot was  published,  1657,  the  earthly  remains  of  John  Ferrar 
were  laid  in  Gidding  churchyard,  and  his  noble  conception, 
viz.,  the  printing  of  the  Holy  Bible  in  eight  several  languages, 
was  left  a  dream  unrealized. 

On  the  memorial  brass,  which  still  remains  in  Gidding 
Church,  is  inscribed,  beneath  his  name  and  arms,  the  same 
text  which,  on  his  first  coming  to  Gidding,  was  engraved  over 
the  door  of  the  house  :  '  Flee  from  evil,  and  do  ye  the  thing 
y*  is  right,  and  divell  for  evermore.'* 

Verse  30.  The  righteous  shall  inherit  the  land,  and  dwell 
therein  for  ever. — Mahomet,  the  false  prophet  of  Arabia,  in  the 
only  direct  citation  from  the  Bible  which  occurs  in  the  Koran, 
has  quoted  Psalm  xxxvii.  29  (30)  in  a  Soorah  composed  at 
Mecca,  and  therefore  written  by  him  before  the  Hegira,  a.d. 
622.  This  is  an  irrefragable  proof  of  the  super-eminent  estima- 
tion and  general  use  which  the  Psalter  had  obtained  through- 
out Arabia  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventh  century,  f 

Verses  36,  37.  /  myself  have  seen  the  tmgodly  in  great 
power,  and  flourishing  like  a  green  bay-tree.  I  wetit  by,  and,  lo, 
he  was  gone  ;  I  sought  him,  but  his  place  could  nowhere  be  found. 

'  To-day  he  puts  forth 
The  tender  leaves  of  hopes,  to-morrow  blossoms, 
And  bears  his  blushing  honours  thick  upon  him. 
The  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost, 
And — when  he  thinks,  good  easy  man,  full  surely 
His  greatness  is  a  ripening — nips  his  root, 
And  then  he  falls,  as  I  do. 'J 

*  Life  of  Nicholas  Ferrar,  pp.  109,  318. 
t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  Coleman  (preface). 
X  Shakespeare,  Henry  VIIL 


PSALM  XXXVIII.  175 

Verse  37  (Bible  version).   Mark  the  perfect  man. — Ecce  Homo! 

Luther  closes  his  Exposition  of  the  Psalm  with  the  words, 
*  Oh,  shame  on  our  faithlessness,  mistrust,  and  vile  unbelief,  that 
we  do  not  believe  such  rich,  powerful,  consolatory  declarations 
of  God,  and  take  up  so  readily  with  little  grounds  of  offence, 
whenever  we  but  hear  the  wicked  speeches  of  the  ungodly. 
Help,  O  God,  that  we  may  once  attain  to  right  faith.     Amen.'* 


PSALM  xxxvni. 

Headi7ig  (Dehtzsch). — Prayer  for  the  changing  of  merited 
wrath  into  rescuing  love. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — when  the  Philistines 
said  to  Achish  the  king,  This  is  David  that  killed  GoHath ;  we 
will  not  that  he  go  with  us  against  Saul ;  moreover,  now,  as 
respects  ourselves,  instruction  in  the  duty  of  confession. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  was  said  in  the  Greek  morning 
office  as  one  of  the  series  Hexapsalmus.  Verses  21  and  22 
were  repeated  at  the  end  of  it. 

In  the  Roman  Church  it  may  be  used  (with  others)  in  the 
Visitation  of  the  Sick. 

In  the  Anglican  Church,  it  is  one  of  the  Matin  Psalms 
(No.  3)  for  Ash  Wednesday. 

The  Whole  Fsalm.— This  Psalm  is  the  third  Penitential,  against 
Gluttony,  and  was  said  at  all  times  when  the  Litanies  were 
recited ;  and  according  to  the  Primitive  use,  retained  in  the 
Sarum,  but  dropped  in  the  Roman  Breviary,  was  recited  after 
the  51st  Psalm  at  Terce,  daily  during  Lent.  In  most  editions 
of  the  Vulgate  it  has  21  verses;  and  Innocent  III.  sees  in 
this  a  triple  Sabbath.  Triple  either  in  honour  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity,  or  with  reference  to  the  three  Sabbaths  which  the  true 
servant  of  God  must  of  necessity  have  :  that  of  rest  amidst  the 
*  The  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  ii.,  p.  217. 


176  PSALM -MOSAICS 

warfare  of  this  world  ;  that  of  peace  when  that  warfare  is  accom- 
phshed,  but  before  the  final  consummation  of  blessedness ;  and 
the  eternal  Sabbath  of  heaven.* 

Ferse  4.  J^or  my  wickednesses  are  gone  over  my  head^  and  are 
like  a  sore  burden,  too  heavy  for  me  to  bear. — St.  Paulinus  has  a 
singular  allegory  in  connection  with  this  verse,  concerning  the 
hair  of  Samson — how,  when  it  was  severed  from  his  head,  his 
iniquities  did  indeed  go  over  it ;  and  this,  taken  in  contrast 
with  St.  Mary  Magdalene  wiping  our  Lord's  feet  with  her  hair, 
and  thus  transferring,  as  it  were,  to  them,  and  by  them  so  soon 
after  to  the  cross,  the  weight  of  her  own  guilt,  f 

Verse   17.   (Bible  version)  My   sorroiv  is  coiitinually  before 

Me. 

*0  sweet,  O  wakeful-hearted  Child  ! 

Sleep  on,  dear  Jesus  !  sleep  ; 
For  Thou  must  one  day  wake  for  me 
To  suffer  and  to  weep  'J 


PSALM  XXXIX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayers  of  one  sorely  tired  at  the 
sight  of  the  prosperity  of  the  Ungodly. 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — To  Jeduthun.  A  supplication,  also  a 
commandment  to  keep  the  tongue  from  impure  conversation, 
and  the  sight,  and  all  the  senses. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — One  thing  concerning  this  Psalm  is 
perfectly  clear,  that  whether  David  were  the  author  or  not,  the 
Psalm  is  individual,  not  national. 

In  Church. — The  present  Psalm  is  fitly  appointed  by  the 
Church  of  England  to  be  used  at  the  Burial  of  the  Dead.§ 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Coinnientary,  vol.  i. ,  p.  606. 

t  Ibid. 

X  F.  W.  Faber. 

§  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary.,  p.  57. 


PSALM  XXXIX.  177 

2"/ie  Whole  Fsalm.—YoM  are,  of  course,  aware  that  this  is 
one  of  the  two  Psalms  appointed  by  our  Church  for  its  funeral 
service ;  and,  as  Bishop  Home  justly  remarks,  a  funeral  is 
the  best  comment  on  it.  An  anecdote  is  told  of  Archbishop 
Leighton  which  well  illustrates  the  remark.  Being  asked  by  a 
friend,  as  he  was  returning  homewards,  if  he  had  been  to  a 
sermon,  '  I  met  a  sermon,'  was  his  answer,  '  for  I  met  a  corpse. 
And  rightly  and  profitably  are  the  funeral  rites  performed 
when  the  living  lay  it  to  heart.* 

Hebirich  Ewald  says  this  is  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the 
elegies  in  the  Psalter. 

Verse  i .  /  said^  I  will  take  heed  to  7ny  zaays,  that  I  offend  not 
with  my  tongue. — The  story  is  well  known  how  Pambo,  a  recluse 
of  the  Egyptian  desert,  when  about  to  enter  on  his  novitiate, 
betook  himself  to  an  aged  monk  and  requested  from  him  in- 
structions for  his  new  course  of  life.  The  old  man  opened  his 
Psalter,  and  began  to  read  the  present  verse.  '  That  is  enough, 
said  Pambo  ;  '  let  me  go  home  and  practise  it.'  And  long 
long  after,  being  asked  by  one  of  his  brethren  whether  he  were 
yet  perfect  in  his  first  lesson,  the  saint,  now  in  his  turn  an  aged 
man,  replied :  '  Forty-and-nine  years  have  I  dwelt  in  this  desert, 
and  am  only  just  beginning  to  learn  how  to  obey  the  command- 
ment.'! 

Verse  6.  As  the  Psalmist  complains,  '  Thou  hast  made  my 
vdays  as  it  were  a  span  long,'  so  we  read  in  As  You  Like  It: 

'  How  brief  the  life  of  man  ! 
The  stretching  of  a  span 
Buckles  in  his  sum  of  age.' 

Act  III.,  Sc.  ii.t 

Verse  7.  For  man  walketh  in  a  vain  shadow,  and  disquieteth 
himself  in  vain  ;  he  heapeth  up  riches,  and  cannot  tell  who  shall 
gather  them, 

*  Daily  Cofuments  on  the  Psalms,  by  B.  Bourchier,  vol.  i.,  p.  266, 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Comtnenfary,  vol,  ii.,  p.  2. 
X  Shakespeare  ajtd  the  Bible,  p.  147. 

12 


178  PSALM-MOSAICS 

*  To-morrow,  and  to-morrow,  and  to-morrow, 
Creeps  in  this  petty  pace  from  day  to  day, 
To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time  ; 
And  all  our  yesterdays  have  lighted  fools 
The  way  to  dusty  death.     Out,  out,  brief  candle  ! 
Life's  but  a  walking  shadow  ;  a  poor  player. 
That  struts  and  frets  his  hour  upon  the  stage, 
And  then  is  heard  no  more  ;  it  is  a  tale 
Told  by  an  idiot,  full  of  sound  and  fury, 
Signifying  nothing.'* 

There  is  a  passage  nearly  resembling  this  in  the  AJax  of 

Sophocles  : 

'  I  see  all  we  who  live  are  nothing  else 
But  empty  phantasmas  or  shadows  vain  ;' 

and   Shakespeare   may   illustrate   both  this  and  the  previous 

verse  : 

* .  .  .   We  are  such  stuff 
As  dreams  are  made  of;  and  our  little  life 
Is  rounded  with  a  sleep. 't 

Verse  lo.  /  decame  diwib  and  operied  not  i?iy  mouthy  for  it  zvas 
Thy  dot7ig. — St.  Francis  of  Sales  on  his  mother's  death  wrote  : 

*  It  has  pleased  God  to  take  my  most  excellent  and  very  dear 
mother  from  this  weary  world,  and  He  has  given  her  a  place  in 
Paradise,  I  believe ;  for  hers  was  one  of  the  most  lovely,  pure 
souls  it  would  be  possible  to  find.  God  is  ever  good,  and  His 
mercy  is  never-failing ;  all  that  He  does  is  holy  and  true,  and  I 
bow  beneath  the  trial  of  this  long  separation.  It  is  a  sharp 
pang,  in  truth,  but  a  very  peaceful  grief,  and  I  can  say  with 
David,  /  was  silent  and  opened  not  my  mouthy  for  it  was  Thy 
doifig.     But  for  that  I  should  be  inconsolable.' 

Verse  13.  Hold  not  Thy  peace  at  my  tears. — The  poet  finely 

adds  '  at  my  tears,' 

' .   .  .  The  saddest,  sweetest,  lowest  sound. 
Nearest  akin  to  perfect  silence.' j 

Verse  14.  I  am  a  stranger  with  Thee,  and  a  sojourner,  as  all 

*  Shakespeare. 

+   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  134. 

I  St.  Augustine's  Holiday,  and  other  Poems,  by  Bishop  Alexander,  p.  233. 


PSALM  XXXIX.  179 

my  fathers  were. — St.  Philip  alone  of  the  four  Metropolitans  of 
Russia,  buried  in  the  cathedral  at  Moscow,  came  into  collision 
with  the  imperial  power,  and  that  was  expressly  and  distinctly 
with  the  personal  cruelties,  not  with  the  secular  authority,  of 
Ivan  the  Terrible.  '  As  the  image  of  the  Divinity,  I  reverence 
thee ;  as  a  man,  thou  art  but  dust  and  ashes.' 

It  is  a  true  glory  of  the  Russian  Church,  and  an  example  to 
the  hierarchy  of  all  Churches,  that  its  one  martyred  prelate 
should  have  suffered,  not  for  any  high  ecclesiastical  pretensions, 
but  in  the  simple  cause  of  justice  and  mercy. 

'  Silence,'  he  said,  as  he  rebuked  the  Czar,  '  lays  sin  upon  the 
soul,  and  brings  death  to  the  whole  people.  I  am  a  sti-anger 
and  a  pilgrim  upofi  earthy  as  all  my  fathers  we?'e,  and  I  am 
ready  to  suffer  for  the  truth.  Where  would  my  faith  be  if  I 
kept  silence  ?  .  .  .  Here  we  are  offering  up  the  bloodless  sacri- 
fice to  the  Lord  ;  while  behind  the  altar  flows  the  innocent 
blood  of  Christian  men.' 

As  he  was  dragged  away  from  the  cathedral,  his  one  word 
was,  '  Pray.'  As  he  received  his  executioners  in  the  narrow  cell 
of  his  prison  in  the  Convent  of  Tuer,  his  one  word  was,  '  Perform 
thy  mission.' 

Here  is  an  illustration  of  the  wickedness  of  Ivan  :  He  retired 
sometimes  for  weeks  together  to  a  monastery  which  he  had 
built  for  himself  near  Moscow.  He  rang  the  bell  for  Matins 
at  three  in  the  morning.  During  the  services,  which  lasted 
seven  hours,  he  read,  chanted,  and  prayed  with  such  fervour 
that  the  marks  of  his  prostrations  remained  on  his  fore- 
head. At  dinner,  whilst  his  attendants  sat  like  mutes,  he  read 
books  of  religious  instruction.  In  the  intervals  he  went  to  the 
dungeons  under  the  monastery  to  see  with  his  own  eyes  his 
prisoners  tortured,  and  always  returned,  it  was  observed,  with 
a  face  beaming  with  delight."* 

*  Dean  Stanley's  Eastern  Church,  p.  329. 


i8o  PSALM-MOSAICS 


PSALM  XL. 


Ifeaiiwg  (T)eyitzsch). — Thanksgiving,  or  offering  up  of  one's 
self;  and  prayer. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — in  its  literal  sense 
understood  to  have  been  composed  when  Shemaiah  brought  to 
him  the  names  of  them  that  minister  in  the  house  of  the  Lord; 
and  spiritually — thanksgiving  to  God  from  the  ministers  and 
the  Church. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Whether  David  was  the  author  of  this 
Psalm  is  a  question  which  we  can  hardly  hope  now  to  decide. 
There  are  expressions  in  it  not  unlike  those  which  we  find  in 
Psalms  unquestionably  his  ;  but  we  cannot  pretend  to  point  to 
any  circumstances  in  his  life  to  which  it  undoubtedly  refers. 

In  Church. — In  the  1549  Prayer-Book  this  Psalm,  or  Psalm 
cxxxii.,  or  Psalm  cxxxv.  was  the  Introit  at  the  Form  and 
Manner  of  Ordering  Priests,  and  the  same  Psalm  or  Psalms 
could  be  used  at  the  ordaining  or  consecrating  of  an  Arch- 
bishop or  Bishop  in  1849.  I^  ^^  also  a  Good  Friday  Psalm, 
so  obviously  prophetic  are  the  words  in  which  the  Psalmist 
offers  himself  as  a  sacrifice  to  do  God's  will — of  Him  Who 
became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  Cross. 

Verse  i.  /  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord,  a?id  He  inclined 
unto  me,  and  heard  my  calling.  On  the  feast  of  St.  John  (1622) 
the  Bishop  (St.  Francis  de  Sales)  was  conscious  on  rising  that 
his  sight  was  imperfect.  He  spoke  of  it  to  his  attendants,  say- 
ing, '  That  means  that  I  am  going,  and  I  bless  God  for  it ;  the 
failing  body  weighs  down  the  soul.'  When  dressed  he  made 
his  own  confession,  said  Mass,  communicated  the  Sisters,  and, 
after  hearing  the  Superior's  confession,  remained  some  little 
time  in  conversation  with  her.  She  was  struck  with  the  altera- 
tion in  his  face,  and  asked  if  he  felt  worse,  but  he  would  only 
answer  that  '  All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 


PSALM  XL.  i8i 

love  God.'  Leaving  the  Church,  Francis  met  the  Due  de 
Bellegarde  and  M.  de  Villeroy,  Governors  of  Lyons  and 
Burgundy,  and  he  remained  some  time  talking  to  them,  with 
his  head  bare,  notwithstanding  the  bitter  cold  and  fog  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  then  he  went  to  the  Prince  of  Piedmont,  re- 
turning home  at  length  quite  exhausted. 

After  taking  some  food  the  Bishop  began  to  write  letters, 
until  he  was  interrupted  by  visitors.  His  servants  noticed  that, 
contrary  to  his  wont,  he  did  not  conduct  these  visitors  to  the 
door  when  they  left,  but  remained  sitting  in  his  chair.  They 
were  sure  by  this  that  the  Bishop  felt  very  ill,  and  were  trying 
to  persuade  him  to  postpone  leaving  Lyons  the  day  following 
(as  he  proposed),  when  Francis  fainted.  He  was  moved  to  his 
bed,  and  shortly  after  a  sort  of  seizure  followed,  which,  however, 
did  not  affect  his  mind.  The  Rector  of  the  Jesuits  kept 
making  acts  of  faith,  hope,  love  and  contrition  for  him,  and  as 
he  was  able  Francis  repeated  them  after  him.  A  friendly 
Religious  came  in  and  explained  his  regret  at  the  Bishop's 
state.  '  Father,'  he  replied,  '  I  am  waiting  on  God's  mercy. 
''^  Expectans  expectavi  Dominuin  et  intendit  jnihi.^^^*  'If  it 
were  God's  Will,  you  would  gladly  depart  at  once?'  the 
Religious  asked.  '  If  God  wills  it,  I  will  it,  too,'  the  Bishop 
answered,  smiling  gently  :  '  now,  or  a  little  while  hence.  What 
does  it  matter  ?  "  Bonum  est  sperare  in  Domino.  Dominus 
est,  quod  bonum  est  in  oculis  suis  faciat."t  I  give  myself  up 
to  the  Lord,  and  let  Him  do  as  He  will.' 

Soon  after  the  Bishop  received  the  Sacrament  of  penitence 
and  extreme  unction.  Early  the  next  morning  the  Bishop  of 
Damascus  came  to  see  his  friend.  '  I  have  come  to  help  yov 
in  your  last  battle.  "  Plater  qui  adjuratur  a  fratre  quasi  civitas 
firma"'  (Prov.  xviii.  J9.  The  English  version  gives  quite  a 
different  rendering).  '"  Et  Dominus  salvabit  utrumque  "  ' 
('  The  Lord  shall  save  both '),  the  sick  man  answered. 

*  «I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord  .  .  .  and  He  heard  my  calling.'— 
Ps.  xl.  I. 

t  'It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord.'— Eng.  Ver.  Ps.  cxviii.  9. 


i82  PSALM. MOSAICS 

Soon  after  the  Bishop  of  Damascus  spoke  again :  '  Jacta 
super  DoMiNUM  curam  tuam,'*  '  Et  ipse  te  enutriet,'  Francis 
completed  the  quotation,  adding,  '  My  meat  is  to  do  the  Will  of 
the  Father.' 

Among  other  people  the  Pere  Forrier,  once  Francis'  director, 
came  in,  and  asked  the  dying  Bishop  if  he  remembered  him. 
'  Si  oblitus  fuero  tui,'  Francis  answered  earnestly,  '  oblivioni 
detur  dextera  mea.'t 

'  You  must  say  with  St.  Martin,  "  Domine  si  adhuc  populo 
tuo  sum  necessarius  non  recuso  laborem," '  ('  Lord,  if  I  am 
necessary  yet  to  Thy  people,  I  would  not  refuse  toil'),  the 
Father  said.  *  I  necessary  !'  Francis  exclaimed  ;  '  no,  no  !  I 
am  an  altogether  useless  servant.'  And  he  repeated  three 
times  slowly  and  fervently,  '  Servus  inutilis,  mutilis,  inutilis  !' 
He  often  said  little  kindly  words  of  consolation  to  his  servants 
and  friends,  whose  grief  as  they  ministered  to  him  sometimes 
broke  forth  ;  and  the  words  of  the  Miserere  were  continually  on 
his  lips,  as  in  his  heart.  Once,  as  he  murmured  the  words, 
'  Amplius  lava  me,  Domine,'  someone  exclaimed  that  of  a  truth 
his  conscience  needed  no  more  cleansing,  but  was  pure  in 
God's  sight.  '  Not  so  :  you  are  mistaken  indeed  !'  the  Bishop 
said  earnestly. 

Often  he  was  heard  repeating  the  words,  '  My  soul  hath  a 
desire  and  longing  to  enter  into  the  Courts  of  the  Lord,  my 
heart  and  my  flesh  rejoice  in  the  Living  God.  .  .  .  My  song 
shall  be  always  of  the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord.  When  I 
am  in  heaviness,  I  will  think  upon  God.  .  .  .  When  shall  I 
come  to  appear  before  the  Presence  of  God  ?'|  He  often,  too, 
repeated  the  words  of  the  bride  in  the  Canticles,  '  Tell  me,  O 
Thou  whom  my  soul  loveth,  where  Thou  feedest,  where  Thou 
makest  Thy  flock  to  rest  at  noon'  (Cant.  i.  7).  And  hearing 
someone  near  his  bed  begin  to  say  the  Sanctus  :  '  Holy,  Holy, 

*  'Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  He  shall  nourish  thee.' — 
Ps.  Iv.  22. 

t  '  If  I  forget  thee,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning.' — 
Ps.  cxxxvii.  5. 

X  Psalms  Ixxxiv.,  Ixxxix.,  Ixxvii.,  xlii. 


PSALM  XL.  183 

Holy,'  Francis  went  on,  '  Heaven  and  earth  are  full  of  Thy 
glory.' 

The  fatal  drowsiness  increased  upon  him,  and  when  the 
Archbishop  of  Embrun  came  in,  Francis  did  not  address  him 
directly,  but  went  on  murmuring  broken  words  of  the  Psalms  : 
'  All  my  desire  is  before  Thee.'  '  Thou  knowest  all  my  groan- 
ing— my  God  and  my  all ;  1  will  Hft  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills 
from  whence  cometh  my  help.'* 

Some  bystander  bade  the  sufferer  unite  his  pains  to  those  of 
the  Thorn-crowned  Saviour,  and  Francis  quietly  answered : 
'  My  pains  do  not  deserve  the  name  compared  to  His.'  Again, 
some  bystander  asked  whether  he  feared  the  last  struggle. 
'  Oculi  mei  semper  ad  Dominum  quoniam  ipse  evellet  de  laqueo 
pedes  meoSj't  was  the  reply.  'There  was  one  traitor  among 
the  Apostles,'  someone  said.  '  Expectans  expectavi  Dominum, 
et  exaudivit  preces  meas,  et  eduscit  me  de  lacu  miserise  et  de 
lacu  fecis,'!  he  replied,  and  in  a  moment  he  added,  '  Qui  coepit 
ipse  perficiet '  ('  He  who  begins  will  make  perfect  his  work'). 
In  a  little  while  the  dying  Saint  turned  round  and,  pressing  the 
hand  of  a  loving  attendant,  muttered,  '  Advesperascit  et 
inclinata  est  jam  dies '  ('  It  is  towards  evening,  and  the  day  is 
far  spent' — St.  Luke  xxiv.  29).  They  were  the  last  words  he 
spoke,  save  that  the  Name  of  Jesus  hung  awhile  upon  the  lips 
that  had  so  often  lovingly  named  It,  and  which  would  next  be 
opened  to  take  part  in  the  Song  of  the  Lamb. 

A  movement  of  the  eyes  and  lips  showed  that  till  the  feeble 
silver  thread  was  cut,  and  the  golden  bowl  loosed,  there  was  a 
loving  response  to  each  petition  raised  heavenwards  by  those 
who  strove  to  the  edge  of  the  dark  river  with  him  they  loved  so 
well.  At  length,  about  eight  in  the  evening,  they  saw  that  the 
last  moment  had  really  come,  and,  kneeling  round,  began  the 

*  Psalms  xxxviii.  9  ;  cxxi.  i. 

f  '  Mine  eyes  are  ever  looking  unto  the  Lord,  for  He  shall  pluck  my 
feet  out  of  the  net.' — Ps.  xxv.  14. 

X  '  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord,  and  He  inclined  unto  me,  and 
heard  my  calling.  Pie  brought  me  also  out  of  the  horrible  pit.' — Ps.  xl. 
I,  2. 


i84  PSALM-MOSAICS 

last  prayers,  the  last  music  of  praise  to  fall  upon  the  ear  which 
soon  should  waken  to  more  joyful  strains. 

The  familiar  Litanies  had  not  gone  far — the  clause 

'  Omnes  sancti  Innocentes 

Orate  pro  eo ' 

had  just  been  said  thrice,  for  it  was  Holy  Innocents'  Day — 
when,  calmly  and  peacefully,  as  he  had  lived,  Francis  de  Sales 
died. 

'  Obdormivit  in  Jesu.' 

The  body  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Church  of  the  Visitation,  Annecy,  until  in  the  Revolution  it 
became  necessary  to  remove  the  venerable  remains,  in  order  to 
save  them  from  desecration.  When  that  dark  storm  had  passed 
away,  a  new  convent  and  church  w^re  built,  and  it  is  in  the 
latter  that  St.  Francis  de  Sales  now  lies,  beneath  the  high  altar. 
He  was  solemnly  canonized  in  the  year  1665,  by  Pope 
Alexander  VH."^ 

Verse  6  (5).  O  Lord  my  God,  great  are  the  wondrous  works 
which  Thou  hast  done,  like  as  be  also  Thy  thoughts  which  are  to 
US-ward,  and  yet  there  is  no  man  that  ordereth  them  unto  Thee. 
— Milton  has  imitated  this  passage  of  the  Psalmist  in  the  7th 
book  of  the  Paradise  Lost. 

'  Great  are  Thy  works,  Jehovah,  infinite 
Thy  power,  what  thought  can  measure  Thee,  or  tongue 
Relate  Thee  !'+ 

Verse  8.  Sacrifice,  and  meat-offering,  Thou  wouldest  not,  but 
mine  ears  hast  Thou  opened. — Those  who  receive  Psalm  xl.  as 
Messianic  find  in  it,  with  the  fact  of  the  Atonement,  the 
Theology  of  the  Atonement. 

'  Sacrifice  and  ofifering  Thou  didst  not  desire. 
Then  said  I,  "  Lo  !  I  come  :  in  the  volume  of  the  Book  it  is  written  of 


*  S.  Francis  de  Sales,  pp.  259-264. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Bishop  Mant,  p.  137. 

%  The  Wit7iess  of  the  Psaltns  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  217. 


PSALM  XL.  185 

Mine  ears  hast  Thou  opejied. — In  quoting  this  Psalm,  the 
writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  renders  the  last  clause,  '  a 
body  hast  Thou  prepared  me.'  This  is  the  LXX.  version.  It 
is  thought  to  be  a  free  translation  of  the  Hebrew,  and  both  are 
taken  to  mean,  '  Thou  hast  made  me  Thy  servant '  (see 
Exodus  xxi.  6)."'^ 

/  delight  to  do  Thy  will,  O  jny  God,  yea,  Thy  law  is  within 
my  heart  (Bible  version). 

*  Every  act  of  obedience  is  an  act  of  worship.'! 

Verses  9,  10.  Lo  I  come  .  .  .  that  I  should  fulfil  Thy  will. — 
The  holy  will  of  God,  that  was  his  (Bishop  Dupanloup's)  con- 
stant thought.  In  1 86 1,  on  the  8th  of  December,  he  writes: 
'  I  am  going  to  make  the  will  of  God  the  subject  of  this  week's 
meditation.  If  one  could  only  think  of  it  continually ;  not  take 
a  step  except  in  accordance  with  it :  see  always  qua  sit  voluntas 
Dei  bona,  et  bene  placens,  et  perfeda  ;  and  be  able  to  say  con- 
tinually :  Quce  placifa  sunt  ei  facio  semper,  and,  A  me  ipso  facio 
mihi.  How  admirable  are  those  words  of  our  Lord  !  One 
ought  to  have  them  always  on  one's  lips,  in  one's  heart.  In  the 
morning  :  Ecce  ve7iio  Deus,  ut  factum  iwluntatem  Tuam  I  In 
the  evening :  Deus  meus,  volui,  et  legem  Tuam  in  7nedio  cordis 
mei  f  At  night  add  :  In  pace,  in  idipsum,  dori7iiam  at 
requiescam  PX 

Verse  17.  Let  them  be  ashamed,  a?id  driven  backivard,  and 
put  to  rebuke,  that  wish  me  evil. — Guthlac,  an  Anglo-Saxon 
hermit,  being  tempted  by  devils  to  commit  self-destruction  (they 
endeavoured  to  persuade  him  that  it  would  be  a  laudable  action 
to  try  to  fast  for  six  days,  and  eat  only  on  the  seventh),  over- 
came them  by  exclaiming  :  '  Let  them  be  driven  backward  that 
wish  me  evil !'  and  immediately  afterwards  ate  a  small  piece  of 
barley  bread  according  to  his  daily  custom. 

*  Interleaved  Prayej--Book,  p.  275. 

+  Steppmg  Heave7izvard. 

X  Life  of  Bishop  Dicpanlottp,  p.  472. 


1 86  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verses  20,  21.  As  for  me,  I  am  poor  a7id  needy ^  but  the  Lord 
carethfor  me.  Thou  art  my  helper  and  redeemer,  make  no  lo?ig 
tarrying,  O  my  God. — In  Dr.  Malan's  memoir,  the  editor,  one 
of  his  sons,  thus  writes  of  his  brother  Jocelyn,  who  was  for 
some  years  prior  to  his  death  the  subject  of  intense  bodily 
sufferings  :  '  One  striking  feature  in  his  character  was  his  holy 
fear  of  God,  and  reverence  for  His  will.  One  day  I  was  repeat- 
ing a  verse  from  the  Psalms — ''As  for  me,  1  am  poor  and  needy, 
but  the  Lord  carethfor  me,  for  Thou  art  my  helper  and  deliverer  ; 
O  Lord,  make  no  long  tarrying.'"  He  said  :  "Mother,  I  love 
that  verse,  all  but  the  last  bit ;  it  looks  like  a  murmur  against 
God.     He  never  '  tarries  '  in  my  case."  '"^ 


PSALM  XLL 

Lleading  (Delitzsch). — Complaint  of  a  Sufferer  of  being  sur- 
rounded by  Hostile  and  Treacherous  Persons. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  appointed 
stewards  to  care  for  the  poor ;  also  a  prophecy  concerning 
Christ  and  concerning  Iscariot. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  seems  to  have  been  written 
in  a  season  of  recovery  from  sickness,  and  under  a  deep  sense 
of  the  hypocrisy  and  ingratitude  of  false  friends,  who  came  to 
the  Psalmist  pretending  to  condole  with  him  in  his  sickness, 
w^hilst  in  reality  they  hated  him  in  their  hearts,  and  wished  for 
his  death. 

Title. — Vulgate  :  In  finem,  Psalmus  ipsi  David. 
LXX.  :    E/s  TO  reXos,  -vJ^aX/AOs  rio  Aa/3t5. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  first  three  books  of  the  Psalter  end 
with  a  double  Amen.  The  fourth  book  (cvi.  48)  ends  with 
*  Amen,  Hallelujah.'      The  last  five  Psalms  of  the  fifth  or  last 


* 


The  Life,  Labours,  and  Writings  of  Cccsar  Malawi  (1787- 1 864). 


PSALM  XLI.  187 

book  all  begin  with  Hallelujah,  and  they  all  end  with  Halle- 
lujah. 

Thus  there  is  a  gradual  ascent  to  higher  degrees  of  adora- 
tion."* 

Verses  1,3.  Blessed  is  he  that  co7isidereth  the  poor  a?id  needy ^ 
the  Lord  shall  deliver  him  ifi  the  time  of  trouble.  .  .  .  The  Lord 
comfort  him^  wheji  he  lieth  sick  upon  his  bed ;  make  Thou  all  his 
bed  i?i  his  sickness. — Thomas  Fuller  tells  how  Queen  Mary  of 
England,  abstracted  from  her  evil  counsellors,  had  good  features 
of  character.  She  erected  again  the  hospital  of  the  Savoy, 
which  had  been  founded  by  her  grandfather,  Henry  VII.,  and 
her  maids  of  honour,  out  of  their  own  wardrobes,  furnished  it 
with  beds,  blankets,  and  sheets  ;  and  then  he  adds :  *  Were  any 
of  those  ladies  still  alive,  I  would  pray  for  them  in  the  language 
of  the  Psalmist — "  The  Lord  make  all  their  bed  in  their  sick- 
ness." And  He  is  a  good  bed-maker  indeed,  who  can  and  will 
make  it  fit  the  person,  and  please  the  patient.  But  seeing  such 
are  all  long  since  deceased,  it  will  be  no  superstition  to  praise 
God  for  their  piety,  and  commend  their  practice  to  the  imita- 
tion of  posterity.'! 

Verse  3.  The  Lord  comfort  hi??i,  when  he  lieth  sick  upon  his 
bed  ;  make  Thou  all  his  bed  in  his  sickness. 

'  O  how  soft  that  bed  must  be, 
Made  in  sickness,  Lord,  by  Thee, 
And  that  rest,  — how  calm  and  sweet — 
Where  Jesus  and  the  sufferer  meet. 

'  It  was  the  Good  Physician  now 
Soothed  my  cheek  and  chafed  my  brow, 
Whispering,  as  He  raised  my  head, 
"  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid." '  j 


*  Wordsworth's  Comvientary^  p.  63. 

t   The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography. 

X  Monsell. 


BOOK  II. 

PSALMS  XLIL— LXXII. 

'  The  Hebrews  divided  the  Psalter  into  five  books,  so  that  it  is  another 
Pentateuch.' — Hippolytus. 

'  The  Psalter  was  the  Hymn-book  and  Prayer-book  of  Christ.' — Bishop 
Wordsworth. 


PSALM  XLII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Longing  for  Zion  in  a  Hostile  Country. 

Co7ite7its  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah ;  Supplica- 
tion of  the  prophets ;  and  a  Psalm  which  David  sang  during  his 
persecution,  and  when  he  desired  to  return  to  Jerusalem. 

Orighi  (Perowne). — This  Psalm,  though  its  date  and  author- 
ship are  uncertain,  leaves  us  no  doubt  as  to  the  locality  in  which 
it  was  written.  The  sacred  poet  was  in  the  land  beyond  the 
Jordan,  near  the  mountain  ridges  of  Hermon  (verse  6),  in  that 
land  which  was  '  emphatically  the  land  of  exile — the  refuge  of 
exiles.'  Some  ascribe  it  to  David,  others  to  a  priest,  who  either 
in  the  time  of  Jeremiah  was  shut  out  from  all  access  to  the 
Temple,  or  who  was  among  those  who  were  carried  away  by 
the  Chaldeans  after  the  capture  of  Jerusalem.  Another  thinks 
that  the  words  may  have  been  those  of  Jehoiakim  himself, 
when  in  the  hands  of  his  captors,  who  perhaps  halted  some- 
where in  this  neighbourhood  for  a  night  on  their  return  to 
Assyria.  But  the  general  tone  of  the  Psalm  is  rather  that  of 
one  looking  for  speedy  restoration  to  his  native  land,  than  of 
one  carried  away  from  enduring  captivity  in  Babylon. 

The  Second  Book  of  Psalms  differs  from  the  first  by  one  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic — its  use  of  the  Divine  Name.  \\\  the 
first,  God  is  spoken  of  and  addressed  as  Jehovah;  in  the  second, 
as  Elohim,  the  latter  name  being  that  which  in  our  version  is 
rendered  God."^ 

^  The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  338. 


192 


PSALM.MOSAICS 


The  So7is  of  Korah  (in  the  title). — Venerable  Bede  says  Kore 
by  interpretation  is  Calvary,  in  the  place  of  which  name  our 
Lord  was  crucified;  wherefore  they  are  worthily  called  the  sons 
of  Kore,  who,  under  the  banner  of  that  Passion,  serve  with  the 
whole  devotion  of  their  minds. 

This  Psalm  fits  every  Christian  who  is  kindled  with  the  flame 
of  the  Lord's  love.  We  ought  all  to  remember  what  blessed 
Jerome  saith  :  '  Whilst  I  carefully  examine  the  whole  Psalter,  I 
nowhere  find  that  the  sons  of  Kore  were  the  authors  of  a 
melancholy  Psalm  ;  everything  in  their  Psalms  is  glad  and 
joyous  ;  and  while  they  despise  earthly  delights,  and  desire 
that  which  is  celestial  and  eternal,  they  will  agree  with  the 
meaning  of  their  name.' 

Tn  Church. — This  Psalm  and  the  next  are  used  together  in 
the  Hebrew  Synagogue  at  the  Great  Festival  of  the  Tabernacle. 

This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Romafi  Office  for  the  Baptism 
of  Adults*  (with  others — Pss.  viii.,  xxix.). 

In  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Mark,  the  priest  is  directed  to  say  a 
certain  prayer,  or  the  Qiiemadmodum  desiderata  i.e.,  Psalm  xlii., 
immediately  before  his  own  Communion. t 

The  Whole  Psalm. — There  are  good  grounds  for  concluding 
that  this  Psalm  and  the  next  constituted  originally  but  one 
poem.  .  .  .  On  the  other  hand,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
each  Psalm  is  complete  in  itself,  and  it  is  conceivable  that, 
though  originally  existing  as  one  poem,  the  present  arrange- 
ment might  have  been  adopted  the  better  to  suit  the  purposes 
either  of  personal  or  liturgical  use.| 

St.  Fra7icis  de  Sales,  when  thought  to  be  dying  at  Annecy, 
asked  the  cathedral  choir — who  had  come  to  ask  after  him 
— to  sing  him  the  Psalm  Quemadmodiwi  desiderat  ('  Like 
as  the  hart  desireth  the  water-brooks ') ;  and  having  listened 

*  Interleaved  Praye7'- Book,  p.  251. 

+  Notitia  Eucharistica,  p.  739. 

X   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  340. 


PSALM  XLII. 


193 


with  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  turned  to  the  wall  and  repeated  the 
Miserere  aloud.* 

Verse  1.  Like  as  the  hart  desireih  the  zvater-brooks,  so  longeth 
my  soul  after  Thee,  O  God. — The  figure  of  Psalm  xlii.  i  is 
often  repeated  in  the  Roman  Catacombs. 

The  royal  fainily  of  France  and  every  nobleman  in  the  days  of 
Clement  Marot  chose  a  Psalm  or  a  song  which  expressed  his 
own  personal  feeling,  adapted  to  his  own  tune.  The  Dauphin, 
afterwards  Henri  II.,  a  great  hunter,  when  he  went  to  the  chase 
was  singing,  '  Aussi  qu'on  vit  le  cerf  bruyere '  {Like  as  the  hart 
desireth  the  water-brooks).  There  is  a  curious  portrait  of  the 
mistress  of  Henri  IL,  the  famous  Diane  de  Poictiers,  recently 
published,  in  which  is  inscribed  this  verse  of  the  Psalm.  On  a 
portrait  which  exhibits  Diane  in  an  attitude  rather  unsuitable  to 
so  solemn  an  application,  no  reason  could  be  found  to  account 
for  this  discordance ;  perhaps  the  painter,  or  the  lady  herself, 
chose  to  adopt  the  favourite  Psalm  of  her  royal  lover,  proudly 
to  designate  the  object  of  her  love,  besides  its  double  allusion 
to  her  name.t 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  used  this  verse  on  her  way  to  execu- 
tion, speaking  to  Sir  Andrew  Melville,  her  steward,  who  met 
her,  and  fell  on  his  knees  before  her,  weeping  and  lamenting 
that  he  should  be  the  bearer  of  such  tidings  to  Scotland. 
'  Weep  not,  good  Melville,'  she  said,  '  but  rather  rejoice  that  an 
end  has  come  to  the  sorrows  of  Mary  Stuart,  for  know  that  all 
this  world  is  vanity.  And  this  message  I  pray  you  bear  from 
me,  that  I  die  a  true  woman  to  my  religion,  and  a  true  woman 
to  Scotland  and  to  France.  But  God  forgive  those  that  have 
long  desired  my  end  and  thirsted  for  my  blood  as  the  hart 
thirsteth  for  the  water-brooks.  O  God,  who  art  the  Author  of 
all  truth,  Thou  knowest  the  inmost  recesses  of  my  heart,  and 
how  that  I  was  ever  willing  that  England  and  Scotland  should 
be  united.     Commend  me  to  my  son  ;  tell  him  that  I  have 

*  S.  Francis  de  Sales,  p.  92. 

t  Curiosities  of  Literature,  Psalm-singing,  vol.  ii.,  p.  476. 

13 


194  PSALM -MOSAICS 

done  nothing  to  prejudice  his  right  as  King  of  Scotland.     And 
now,  good  Melville,  fare  thee  well.'"^ 
Frederick  George  Lee : 

*  They  lie  beneath  the  waving  grass, 
When  o'er  them  moving  cloudlets  pass  ; 
The  sleet  may  drift,  may  fall  the  snow, 
Long  seasons  come,  long  seasons  go. 
They  lie  in  peace,  in  GoD  they  sleep, 
Temptations  past,  their  hope  is  deep  ; 
Stern  woes  grip  not,  nor  sorrows  chill, 
They  long  for  Sion's  holy  hill. 
Like  as  bird  flies  to  hidden  nest. 
Like  as  babe  turns  to  mother's  breast. 
Like  as  the  hart  fo?-  In-ooklet  longs, 
So  these  for  joy  of  Sion's  songs.' 

St.  Teresa  (1515-1582)  used  to  fall  into  'raptures.'  'Richard 
of  St.  Victor  teaches  that  raptures  arise  from  a  vehement  fire 
of  divine  love  in  the  will,  or  from  excessive  spiritual  joy,  or 
from  a  beam  of  heavenly  light  darting  from  the  understanding. 
.  .  .  No  effects  of  a  rapture  are  so  remarkable  or  profitable  as 
the  clear  sight  which  the  soul  receives  in  it  of  her  own  imper- 
fections, baseness,  and  nothingness,  together  with  the  most 
profound  sentiments  of  humility ;  and,  on  the  other  side,  a 
great  knowledge  of  the  goodness,  majesty,  and  boundless  power 
of  God,  with  the  most  ardent  love  and  desires  of  speedily  pos- 
sessing Him  for  ever.  Hence,  St.  Teresa,  when  her  soul  was 
deeply  wounded,  and  totally  inflamed,  as  it  were,  by  a  spark 
falling  from  the  immense  fire  of  the  love  our  Lord  bore  her, 
often  repeated  with  incredible  earnestness  that  verse :  "  As  the 
hart  pattteth  after  the  foii?itains  of  wate?',  so  pajiteth  my  soul 
after  Thee,  O  GodP  'f 

Herma7i  Hugo,  who  died  of  the  plague  in  his  charitable 
labours  amongst  plague-stricken  men  at  Antwerp,  has  an  elegy  in 
his  Pia  Desideria  on  this  verse,  where  he  does  not  fail  to  intro- 
duce the  legend  of  the  stag  and  the  serpent : 

•Vis  dicam,  mea  lux,  quam  te  meus  ardor  anhelat  ? 
Cervus  ut  irrigui  fontis  anhelat  aquas 

*   Cameos  frojji  English  History,  No.  clxxvii. 
t  Alban  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints. 


PSALM  XLII.  195 

Nempe  venenifero  pastas  serpente  medullas. 
Cervus  agit  totis  hausta  venena  fibris.' 

*  Shall  I,  then,  tell  Thee,  O  my  Light,  how  pants  my  love  for  Thee  ? 
As  pants  the  stag  to  reach  a  fount  where  water  streameth  free, 
When  he  hath  fed  on  venomed  snakes,  and  speedeth  on  in  pain, 
As  he  perceives  the  poison-taint  that  works  in  every  vein.' 

This  legend — the  stock  allegory  of  the  Middle  Ages — is  given 
in  the  words  of  St.  Augustine  :  '  It  destroys  serpents,  and  after 
the  killing  of  serpents,  it  is  inflamed  with  thirst  yet  more 
violent ;  having  destroyed  serpents,  it  runs  to  the  water-brooks 
with  thirst  more  keen  than  before.  The  serpents  are  thy  vices  ; 
destroy  the  serpents  of  iniquity,  then  wilt  thou  long  yet  more 
for  the  fountain  of  truth. '"^ 

Verse  3.  My  fears  have  bee?i  my  meat  day  and  night. — The 
plaintive  cry  of  the  hermit  of  Warkworth,  '  Fuerunt  mihi 
iacrymge  mese  panes  die  ac  nocte,'  is  carved  on  the  rough  lintel 
of  his  lonely  leafy  hermitage,  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Coquet 
{in  Northumberland).! 

Where  is  noiv  Thy  God? 

'  "Where  is  now  thy  God  ?"     Oh,  sorrow  ! 

Hourly  thus  to  hear  him  say, 
Finding  thus  the  longed-for  morrow, 

Mournful  as  the  dark  to-day. 
Yet  not  thus  my  soul  would  languish, 

Would  not  thus  be  grieved  and  shamed, 
But  for  that  severer  anguish, 

When  I  hear  the  Lord  defamed. 

'  "  Where  is  now  thy  GoD  ?"     Oh  !  aid  me, 

Lord  of  irercy,  to  reply, 
"  He  is  HERE — though  foes  invade  me, 

Know  His  outstretched  arm  is  nigh," 
Help  me  thus  to  be  victorious, 

While  the  shield  of  faith  I  take  ; 
Lord,  appear,  and  make  Thee  glorious  ; 

Help  me  for  Thy  honour's  sake. '4: 

Verses  6,  7.    Why  art  thou  so  full  of  heaviness,   O  my  soul? 
and  why  art  thou  so  disquieted  within  me  ? — In  the  dying  injunc- 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Conwtentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  58. 
+  Sunday  at  Home,  1883,  p.  531. 
:;:  Henry  March,  1823. 


196  '  PSALM-MOSAICS 

tion  left  to  his  sons,  Vladimir  Monomachus  says  amongst 
other  things :  '  Never  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain  ;  and 
never  break  the  oath  you  have  made  in  kissing  the  crucifix. 
My  brethren  said  to  me,  "  Help  us  to  drive  out  the  sons  of 
Rostislaf,  or  else  give  up  our  alliance."  But  I  said,  "  I  cannot 
forget  that  I  have  kissed  the  cross."  I  opened  then  the  Book 
of  Psalms,  and  read  there  with  deep  emotion  :  "  W/iy  art  thou 
so  vexed,  O  my  soul  ?  and  why  art  thou  so  disquieted  within  me  ? 
Put  thy   trust  in   God.     I  will  confess  my  faults,   and  He  is 


Verse  15.  O  put  thy  trust  in  God  .  .  .  which  is  the  help  of 
my  counte?iance  and  my  God. — When  St.  Francis  of  Sales  was 
seriously  ill  at  Annecy,  his  mother  came  to  nurse  him.  Madame 
de  Boisy  herself  told  her  son  of  his  danger,  and  reproaching 
himself  with  a  want  of  sufficiently  deep  and  real  contrition,  he 
at  once  began  to  recall  every  slight  sin  of  omission  and  com- 
mission, crying  out  partly  in  the  words  of  Job  and  David  : 
'  I  will  speak  in  the  littleness  of  my  soul,  Do  not  Thou  con- 
demn me.  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord,  before  I  go  whence 
I  shall  not  return,  even  to  the  land  of  darkness  and  the  shadow 
of  death.  My  sins  are  ever  before  me,  and  by  reason  of  my 
impenitence  the  fear  of  death  oppresseth  me.  Lord,  be  pitiful, 
for  how  grievously  have  I  sinned  all  my  life  long  !  When 
Thou  comest  to  judge  the  earth,  whither  shall  I  hide  myself 
from  Thee?  Truly  fear  hath  seized  me,  and  shame  hath 
covered  my  face !'  While  Francis  was  thus  pouring  out  his 
soul  before  God  in  sorrow  at  his  own  want  of  contrition,  those 
who  stood  around  were  filled  with  silent  wonder  and  admiration 
at  the  depth  of  heartfelt  penitence,  which  all  who  knew  him  felt 
was  not  called  for  by  his  outer  life,  so  singular  in  its  holiness 
and  purity  ;  though  well  knowing  that  in  God's  sight  there  is 
none  whom  penitence  does  not  well  befit,  no  soul  that  may 
venture  boldly  into  that  Presence  which  '  will  gladden  thee,  but 
will  piferce  thee  too.'     As  they  stood  by,  they  saw  the  anguish 

*  Dean  Stanley's  Eastern  Church,  p.  313. 


PSALM  XLIII.  197 

of  penitence,  the  sorrow  of  deep  contrition,  pass  by,  and  all 
the  fulness  of  perfect  love  pour  over  and  satiate  that  longing, 
waiting,  trusting  soul,  which,  having  laid  its  burden  in  simple 
confidence  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  now  waited  in  like  resting 
love  for  the  issues  of  life  or  death.  '  He  had  no  choice.  ''  The 
Lord's  tender  Mercy  will  keep  me,  whether  I  go  to  Him  now 
or  later,"  he  said ;  "  and  longer  life  will  but  add  to  my  need  of 
mercy.  All  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  mercy  and  truth.  I  will 
trust  ill  God,  Who  is  the  help  of  my  countenance  and  my  God. 
He  knows  the  fittest  season  in  which  to  gather  the  fruit."  A 
little  later  he  said  in  reply  to  some  remark  :  "  Do  not  let  us 
dwell  so  much  upon  trifling  circumstances.  Let  us  think  of 
nothing  save  His  Holy  Will ;  that  is  our  guiding  star,  and  it 
will  lead  us  to  Jesus  Christ,  whether  in  the  manger  or  on 
Calvary.  '  He  that  believeth  in  Me  shall  not  come  into  con- 
demnation, but  is  passed  from  death  into  life.' "  '"^ 


PSALM  XLHI. 

Heading {\)€i\\.'L%Q\?i). — Longing  for  Zion  in  a  Hostile  Country. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  ;  when  Jonathan  made 
known  to  him  that  Saul  sought  to  slay  him  ;  moreover,  the 
supplication  of  the  prophets ;  wherein  also  the  Psalmist  casts 
reproach  upon  the  Jews. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  was  sung  in  the  Cathedral 
of  Milan,  a.d.  389,  at  the  baptism  of  St.  Augustine  by 
St  Ambrose.! 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  fitly  recited  in  the  Latin  Church 
in  the  Matins  of  Corpus  Christi,  as  well  as  (verse  4)  in  the 
form  of  an  introit  to  the  altar,  though  the  Vulgate  translation 
is  different  :    '  And  I  will  enter  in  to  the  altar  of  God,  to  the 

God  who  giveth  joy  to  my  youth.' :|: 

*  S.  Francis  de  Sales,  pp.  89,  90. 

t   Confessions,  ix.  14. 

X  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  71. 


198  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  i.  Judge  me,  O  God,  aiid  plead  my  cause  (Bible 
version). — These  words  were  inscribed  on  a  banner  on  which 
was  painted  Darnley  lying  dead  under  the  apple-tree,  and  his 
infant  kneeling  by  him,  with  the  legend,  '  'Judge  .  .  .  O  Lord,' 
coming  out  of  his  mouth.  This  banner  was  displayed  by 
those  who  had  risen  to  seize  Bothvvell.  They  had  put  forth 
proclamations  calling  on  everyone  to  join  in  delivering  the 
Queen  from  her  wicked  and  murderous  oppressor,  and  to  save 
the  little  prince  from  the  slayer  of  his  father.  Mary's  army 
dwindled  away,  and  she  surrendered,  stipulating  that  Bothwell 
should  not  be  taken  or  slain  on  the  spot.  Bothwell  fled  to 
Orkney,  and  escaped  to  Denmark.  Mary  was  imprisoned  in 
Lochleven  Castle.* 

Verse  4.  /  may  go  unto  the  Altar  of  God. — '  My  very  excel- 
lent and  most  dear  Father, — I  must  tell  you  something.  On  the 
second  day  of  my  Retreat  in  the  Seminaire  de  Saint  Sulpice, 
I  got  congestion  of  the  lungs.  I  said  to  myself.  If  I  give  in 
before  the  ordination  I  shall  not  be  a  deacon,  and  a  deacon 
I  must  and  will  be.  So  I  held  out,  and  did  not  give  up  the 
Retreat ;  but  on  Saturday  last,  after  the  ordination,  I  was  quite 
a  bout  de  forces.  I  had  only  just  time  to  get  to  bed,  and  they 
bled  me.  To-day,  Wednesday,  I  can  breathe  rather  better. 
One  day,  during  the  Retreat,  when  I  was  very  much  upset,  I 
wrote  four  pages  to  you  ;  but  just  as  I  was  sending  my  letter, 
I  was  seized  with  remorse,  for  I  had  complained  in  it,  so  I  tore 
it  up.  At  last  I  am  a  deacon  !  You  will  see  that  by  dint  of 
perseverance,  little  by  little  I  shall  attain  to  the  priesthood. 
Introibo  ad  altare  Dei.  In  truth  I  hope  some  day  to  offer  there 
a  heart  full  of  love  to  God  and  man.'f 

Verse  5.  Why  art  thou  so  heavy,  O  my  souH  aiid  why  art 
thou  so  disquieted  within  me? — It  may  have  been  like  St.  Paul's 
thorn  in  the  flesh,  sent  lest  he  should  be  exalted  above  measure 
by  so  many  gifts  and  graces  ;  but  so  it  was,  that  when  seven- 

*   Cameos fro7n  English  History,  civ. 
t  Henri  Ferreyve^  hy  A.  Gratry,  p.  d^. 


PSALM  XLIII.  199 

teen,  a  season  of  temptation  came  over  the  young  man  (St. 
Francis  de  Sales),  and  he  began  to  fear  that  he  was  not  in  a 
state  of  grace,  that  God's  favour  had  departed  from  him,  and 
that  he  should  inevitably  yield  to  the  first  mortal  sin  which 
tempted  him.     Vainly  he  strove   to   banish    the  bewildering 
thoughts  with  King  David's  cry,   '  JV/iy  art  thou  so  heavy,  O 
my  soul  1  a7id  ivhy  art  thou  so  disquieted  withiji  me  ?     Put  thy 
trust  in  God.     Leave  me  not,  neither  forsake  me,  O  my  God.' 
Assuredly   he   was    not  forsaken     of   his    dear    Lord    and 
Master,  but  the  grateful,  soothing  sense  of  His  Presence  was 
no  longer  consciously  felt,  and  his  health  began  visibly  to  suffer 
under  the  strain  of  mental  anguish.    Then  he  resolved,  boy  as  he 
was,  deeply  to  study  what  great  theologians  had  written  on  the 
vexed  question  of  predestination.     But  he  could  not  see  his 
way  to  an  entire  acceptance  of  what  he  read  in  St.  Augustine 
and  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  and  after  much  study  he  wrote  the 
following  protest,  which  seems  to  have  given  him  comfort  and 
strength  : 

'  Prostrate  at  the  feet  of  the  blessed  Augustine  and  St.  Thomas, 
and  willing  to  abide  in  ignorance  of  whatsoever  God  hides  from 
me,  save  Christ  crucified ;  believing  what  I  have  written  to  be 
true,  inasmuch  as  I  saw  no  sound  cause  for  doubt ;  neverthe- 
less, as  I  cannot  perceive  everything,  and  this  mighty  mystery 
dazzles  my  weak  sight,  should  I  hereafter  believe  otherwise, 
and  should  I  be  condemned  to  hell  (which,  O  Lord  Jesus  !  be 
far  from  me)  by  that  holy  Will  which  St.  Thomas  believes  to  set 
forth  the  justice  of  God  towards  sinners,  I  would  with  willing 
submission  bow  before  the  Most  High,  saying  with  the  prophet : 
"  My  soul  truly  waiteth  still  upon  God.""^  "  Even  so.  Father, 
for  so  it  seemed  good  in  Thy  sight."  In  the  bitterness  of  my 
soul  I  would  cry  out  thus,  until  He  changed  His  sentence  and 
answered :  "  Be  trustful,  my  son,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  a  sinner, — the  dead  praise  not  the  Lord,  neither  they 
that  go  down  into  silence,— I  made  thee  for  Myself,— the  Will 

*  Psahn  Ixii.  I. 


200  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

of  God  is  thy  sanctification, — I  abhor  nothing  which  I  have 
made.  IV/iy  art  thou  so  heavy\  O  my  soul?  and  why  art  thou 
so  disquieted  within  me?  O put  thy  trust  in  God,  which  is  the 
help  of  thy  countena?ice  and  thy  God.  Go  not  down  into  hell, 
but  rather  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of 
the  God  of  Jacob.  He  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth  ;  this  sick- 
ness is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God.  Be  of  good 
cheer,  my  lowly  child,  unworthy  indeed,  but  faithful  in  that  thy 
hope  is  in  Me,  thy  trust  in  My  Mercy.  Forasmuch  as  thou  hast 
been  faithful  in  that  which  is  least,  ready  to  accept  damnation 
were  it  for  My  Glory,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things. 
Forasmuch  as  thou  wouldst  glorify  My  Name,  even  by  the 
sacrifice  of  thyself — though  in  truth  that  were  but  a  sorry 
praise  to  Me,  Who  willeth  not  the  loss,  but  salvation  of  men — 
therefore  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things,  and  thou 
shalt  eternally  sing  ]My  praises,  and  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord."  And  to  this  what  else  shall  I  answer,  save  once  more, 
"  Even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemeth  good  in  Thy  sight ;  my 
heart  is  ready,  whether  to  suffer  or  to  rejoice  for  Thy  name. 
Jesus,  I  am,  as  it  were,  a  beast  before  Thee ;  nevertheless,  I 
am  alway  by  Thee,  for  Thou  hast  holden  me  by  my  right  hand. 
Be  it  unto  me  according  to  Thy  Word."  "  I  will  not  the  death 
of  a  sinner,  but  that  he  turn  from  his  way  and  live."  In  Thy 
name  lift  I  up  my  hands.     Amen,  Jesu,  Mary.'"^ 

Why  art  thou  so  heavy,  O  my  soul  ?  .  .  .  put  thy  trust  in 
God. — March  8,  1885,  was  the  last  Sunday  of  Bishop  Words- 
worth, of  Lincoln,  at  church.  As  he  walked  home  he  stopped 
two  or  three  times  to  repeat,  with  the  fervour  that  those  who 
knew  him  can  imagine,  the  verses  which  occur  three  times  in 
the  Psalms  for  that  evening :  '  Why  art  thou  so  heavy,  O  my 
soul  ?  .   .   .put  thy  trust  in  God.''j 

*  Life  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales ^  pp.  17,  18. 
t  Life  of  Bishop  Wordsworth,  p.  479. 


PSALM  XLIV. 


PSALM  XLIV. 


Heading  (Delitzsch).— A  Litany  of  Israel,  hard  pressed  by 
the  enemy,  and  yet  faithful  to  its  God. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  the  Sons  of  Korah,  which  the 
people  sang  at  Horeb  with  Moses  ;  containing,  moreover,  the 
supplication  of  the  prophets  of  David  and  others  ;  and  signify- 
ing to  us  triumph  and  victory  against  them  that  fight  against  us. 

Origin  (Perowne). — We  know  of  no  period  of  Jewish  history 
previous  to  the  Exile,  when  the  assertion  would  be  true  that  the 
people  had  not  forgotten  God,  nor  '  stretched  out  their  hands 
to  any  strange  god.'  Hence,  many  interpreters  refer  the  Psalm 
to  the  time  of  the  Maccabees,  and  the  persecution  of  Antiochus 
Epiphanes  (2  Macc-  v.  11-20). 

The  nation  was  then  free  from  the  taint  of  idolatry,  and  it 
suffered  cruelly.  So  far  as  the  internal  evidence  goes,  it  is 
unquestionably  in  favour  of  this  period.  But  the  history  of  the 
Canon  is  said  to  be  against  it. 

Gesenius  and  others  have  argued  that  Psalms  composed  at 
so  late  a  date  would  not  have  been  received  into  the  Canon 
which  was  finally  settled  in  the  time  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah. 
This,  however,  is  an  entire  mistake.  The  formation  of  the 
Canon  was  a  slow  and  gradual  work,  extending  over  a  very 
considerable  period  of  time,  and  cannot  be  said  to  have  been 
finally  completed  before  the  age  of  the  Maccabees.  Calvin 
says  with  perfect  truth  that,  if  anything  is  clear,  it  is  that  the 
Psalm  was  written  by  anyone  rather  than  by  David.  The  com- 
plaints which  it  contains,  he  observes,  are  most  suitable  to  the 
wretched  and  calamitous  times  when  the  cruel  tyranny  of 
Antiochus  was  exercised  without  check. 

In  Church.— It  will  be  observed  that  the  first  and  last  verses 
of  this  Psalm  are  introduced  into  the  Litany.     The  first  verse 
formed  part  of  some  editions  of  the  Sarum  Litany.^ 
*  Housman  on  the  Psalms^  p.  80. 


202  PSALM-MOSAICS 

The  Whole  Psalm. — St.  Ambrose,  St.  Augustine  and  St. 
Jerome  call  this  Psalm  'A  Psalm  of  Martyrs,'  no  doubt  because 
the  victory  of  David  seems  to  have  been  gained  after  much  loss 
of  life  on  his  side  (see  verses  9-12,  22).  The  spiritual  con- 
quests of  Christ  were  achieved  after  much  carnage  of  the  noble 
army  of  Martyrs. 

St.  Paul  himself  suggests  this  application  by  quoting  this 
Psalm  as  prophetic  of  the  sufferings  of  the  primitive  Christians 
(see  Rom.  viii.  36,  citing  verse  22),  and  therefore  there  is  good 
ground  for  the  heading  of  this  Psalm  in  our  Authorized  Version: 
'  The  Church,  in  memory  of  former  favours,  complaineth  of  her 
present  evils,  and  she  fervently  prayeth  for  succour.'"^ 

Verse  3.  For  they  gat  7iot  the  la?id  in  possession  through  their 
own  sword  ;  neither  was  it  their  own  arm  tJiat  Jielped  tJiem. — It 
was  probably  with  reference  to  this  verse  that  Achior  in  his 
speech  to  Holofernes,  is  made,  in  the  Vulgate,  to  say  (Judith 
V.  16),  '  Everywhere  they  entered  in  without  arrow  and  bow, 
and  without  shield  and  sword ;  for  their  God  did  fight  for 
them,  and  overcame.'! 


Verse  6.  In  TJiy  Name  lue  will  tread  tliem  U7ider^  tliat  rise 
up  against  us. — No  doubt  it  was  in  great  measure  from  this 
text  that  those  early  emperors  carried  the  \|p>  on  their 
standards. 


X 


'  Christus  purpureum  gemmanti  textus  in  auro 
Signabat  Labarum.' 

'  The  Name  of  Christ,  inwrought  with  jewelled  gold, 
Adorned  the  purple  Labarum. 'j 

Verse  9.      Will  praise  Thy  Name  for  ever. 

*Thee,  O  Name  of  Jesus  sweet, 
Stone  from  mountain  hewn,  we  greet, 
Living  nurture  of  the  soul, 
Man  prays  Thee  to  make  him  whole. 

*  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  66. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Co)nmentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  76. 

X  Ibid.,  p.  79. 


PSALM  XLIV.  203 

'  Hail,  O  Name,  for  aye  renowned, 
Through  the  wide  world  yet  to  sound  ; 
Jesu,  sweet  of  Whom  to  tell, 
Kindle  us  to  love  Thee  well. 

*  Hail,  O  wealthy  King  of  day, 
Son  of  God,  be  Thou  my  stay  ; 
Lest  the  Amorites  succeed, 
Jesu,  think  on  me  in  need. 

'  This  song  was  made  and  set  forth  by  a  certain  grey  monk  lowly. 
In  praise  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord,  for  solace  of  the  holy.'* 

Verse  18.  JVor  behave  ourselves  frowardly  in  Thy  covenant. — 
This  is  a  verse  on  which  Bishop  Wren  prepared  a  sermon 
during  his  imprisonment.  In  his  prison  he  had  prepared 
sermons  and  discourses  on  abandoning  the  Scottish  Covenant 
(one  on  the  text  '  Neither  behave  thyself  frowardly  in  the 
covenant '),  and  similar  subjects  which  he  now  dispersed  through 
his  late  and  his  present  diocese,  while  he  lodged  where  he 
could  in  London,  as  he  was  not  allowed  to  go  back  to  either 
his  palace,  or  Ely  House  in  Holbornf  (see  on  Psalm  li.  for 
account  of  Bishop  Wren). 

Verse  22.  As  sheep  appoi?ited  to  be  slain. — Edward  Bering, 
at  one  time  Rector  of  Pluckley,  was  Chaplain  to  Queen 
Elizabeth  at  the  Tower.  He  was  also  Lady  Margaret  Professor 
of  Divinity  at  Cambridge,  and  a  Prebendary  of  Salisbury.  He 
was  a  man  of  fearless  boldness,  and  in  a  sermon  preached 
before  the  Queen  in  1569  he  warned  her  lest  she,  who  had  been 
('  tanquam  ovis ')  ^  as  a  sheep  appoiiited  to  be  slain '  (Psalm  xliv. 
22),  should  come  to  be  chastised  (' tanquam  indomita  juvenca ') 
as  an  untamed  and  unruly  heifer  (Jer.  xxxi.  18).  Her  Majesty 
deemed  the  allusion  a  little  too  forcible,  and  Edward  Bering 
was  forbidden  to  preach  any  more  before  the  Court.  Some 
time  afterwards  he  was  prosecuted  for  Puritanism  before  the 
High  Commission,  and  after  a  long  suit  was  suspended  from 
all  his  clerical  functions.  + 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  81. 

f  Sh'  Christophei-  Wren  and  his  Ti77ies,  chap.  v. 

X  Diocesan  History  of  Canterbury,  p.  306. 


204  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  23.  Up,  Lord,  luhy  sleepest  Thou  ?  awake,  and  be  not 
absent  from  us  for  ever.— There  is  a  Jewish  tradition  that  in  the 
Maccabee  period  the  Levites,  ascending  the  pulpit  in  the 
synagogue,  daily  chanted  this  verse ;  but  that  John  Hyrcanus, 
High  Priest  and  King  B.C.  107,  forbade  the  custom,  saying, 
*Doth  God  sleep?  Hath  not  the  Scripture  said,  "He  that 
keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep  "  ?' 

Ferses  22,  26. — Vocem  ergo  Martyrum  (says  St.  Augustine) 
audiamus  in  hoc  Psalmo. 


PSALM  XLV. 

Beading  (Delitzsch). — Marriage-song  in  honour  of  the  peer- 
less King. 

Ti't/e  (Spurgeon). — A  Song  of  loves.  Not  a  carnal  senti- 
mental love-song,  but  a  celestial  canticle  of  everlasting  love  fit 
for  the  tongues  and  ears  of  angels. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Written  by  the  sons  of  Korah,  in  the 
days  of  Moses ;  the  manifestation  of  the  Messiah  ;  also  con- 
cerning the  Church  and  concerning  the  glorious  power  of  the 
Lord. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  evidently  a  Marriage-song 
composed  for  some  day  of  royal  espousals.  It  celebrates  the 
nuptials  of  a  Jewish  king  with  a  princess,  apparently  of  foreign 
extraction  ;  but  in  honour  of  what  particular  king  it  was  written 
is  a  matter  of  conjecture.  The  older  and  perhaps  the  more 
common  interpretation  refers  it  to  Solomon's  nuptials  with  the 
daughter  of  Pharaoh,  King  of  Egypt.  On  the  whole,  the 
general  character  of  the  Psalm,  describing  as  it  does  the 
majesty  and  persuasive  eloquence  of  the  king,  the  splendour  of 
his  appearance  and  of  his  palace,  and  the  hopes  which  he 
raised  for  the  future,  is  such  as  to  make  it  more  justly  applic- 
able to  Solomon  than  to  any  other  of  the  Jewish  monarchs,  so 
far  as  we  are  acquainted  with  their  fortunes. 


PSALM  XLV.  205 

In  Church. — In  the  orthodox  Church  of  the  East  this  Psahii 
(or  parts  of  it)  is  used  at  Baptism  and  Confirmation.  In  the 
former  Sacrament,  the  Priest,  immediately  before  immersing  the 
catechumen,  anoints  him  thrice  with  holy  oil,  saying,  'The  ser- 
vant of  God  is  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  (verse  S)  in  the 
Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. '"^ 

We  are  about  to  contemplate  the  graces  of  the  Church,  the 
Queen  and  Bride  of  Christ,  glorified  by  means  of  her  union 
with  Him.  The  Church  has  recognised  this  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  this  Psalm  for  Christmas  Day.  The  Sarum  use,  the 
Latin  use,  the  present  Church  of  England  use,  all  agree  in  the 
appointment  of  this  Psalm  for  Christmas  Day.  In  the 
Gregorian  use,  it  was  appointed  for  the  Festival  which  cele- 
brates the  angelic  message  of  the  Incarnation  of  the  Annun- 
ciation,! 

The  Whok  Psalm.— \  psalm  sung  by  Columba  near  the 
fortress  of  the  king  of  the  Northern  Picts,  by  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Ness.  Adamnan,  his  biographer,  says:  'But  another 
story  concerning  the  great  and  wonderful  power  of  his  voice 
should  not  be  omitted.  The  thing  is  said  to  have  taken  place 
near  the  fortress  of  King  Brude.  When  the  Saint  himself  was 
chanting  the  evening  hymns,  with  a  few  of  the  brethren,  some 
Druids  coming  near  to  them  did  all  they  could  to  prevent 
God's  praises  being  sung  in  the  midst  of  a  pagan  nation.  On 
seeing  this  the  Saint  began  to  sing  the  44th  (our  45th)  Psalm, 
and  at  the  same  moment  so  wonderfully  loud,  like  pealing 
thunder,  that  the  king  and  people  were  struck  with  amazement 
and  fear.'  Adamnan  tells  that  his  voice  could  be  heard  at  five 
hundred,  and  sometimes  even  a  thousand  paces,  and  yet  that 
when  near  it  did  not  seem  exceeding  loud.t 

Verse  3.    Thou  art  fairer  than  the  children  of  men.—lw  spite 
of  the  whole  phalanx  of  Eastern  Doctors,  take  this  verse  of 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  267. 

f  Wordsworth's  Commnitary,  p.  6S, 

+    The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography. 


2o6  PSALM.MOSAICS 

that  dear  Lord's  external  beauty  as  man.  I  firmly  believe 
that  a  certain  type  of  the  Face  of  our  Blessed  Lord  would  not 
have  been  so  universally  received  in  Eastern  and  early  Western 
art  unless  it  had  possessed  some  real  foundation.  Everyone 
must  be  acquainted  with  the  general  idea  of  That  Countenance 
as  given  in  Byzantine  icons,  and  crystallized,  if  we  may  so 
speak,  in  the  West  under  the  name  of  the  Dieu  d' Amiens."^ 

O  fair  sun,  and  fair  moon,  and  fair  stars,  and  fair  flowers, 
and  fair  roses,  and  fair  lilies ;  but  O  ten  thousand  thousand 
times  fairer  Lord  Jesus  !  Alas !  I  have  wronged  Him  in 
making  the  comparison  this  way.  O  black  sun  and  moon  !  but 
O  fair  Lord  Jesus  !  O  black  flowers,  and  black  lilies,  and 
roses  !  but  O  fair,  fair,  ever  fair,  Lord  Jesus  !  O  black  heaven  ! 
but  O  fair  Christ  !  O  black  angels  !  but  O  surpassingly  fair 
Lord  Jesus.I 

Ferse  4.  Gird  thee  7vith  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  O  thou 
most  mighty. — These  words  are  used  when  the  Priest  puts  on 
the  Epigonation  as  he  vests  for  Mass  in  the  Graeco-Russian 
Church.  Here  are  the  prayers  used  at  vesting — the  whole 
account  is  by  a  very  ingenuous  writer.  '  The  first  thing  each 
Priest  does  on  coming  unto  the  Altar  of  the  Church  about  to 
be  consecrated,  is  to  dress  himself,  or,  rather,  suffer  himself  to 
be  dressed  by  the  Sacristan  (generally  one  of  the  Readers)  in 
his  full  canonicals,  five  in  number,  which  are  as  follows  (each  is 
kissed  and  signed  with  the  cross  before  the  wearer  puts  it  on): 

'  First,  the  Alb,  a  sort  of  frock  with  loose  sleeves,  donned  with 
these  words  :  "  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  who  clotheth 
me  in  the  garment  of  salvation." 

'  Secondly,  the  cuffs.  The  right  hand  one  is  laced  with  these 
words  :  "  The  right  hand  of  the  Lord  hath  the  pre-eminence ; 
the  right  hand  of  the  Lord  bringeth  mighty  things  to  pass  " 
(Psalm  cxviii.  16) :  the  left  one  with,  "Thy  hands  have  made 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  99. 
+    Samuel  Rutherford. 


PSALM  XLV.  207 

me  and  fashioned  me :  O  give  me  understanding,  that  I  may 
learn  Thy  commandments"  (Psahii  cxix.  73). 

'Thirdly,  the  belt.  "Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  girdeth  me 
with  strength  and  maketh  my  path  undefiled." 

'  Fourthly,  the  stole.  "  Blessed  be  God,  who  hath  poured 
His  grace  on  His  priests." 

'  Fifthl)^  the  chasuble  or  upper  garment.  "  Thy  priests,  O 
Lord,  are  decked  with  health,  and  Thy  Saints  shall  rejoice  and 
sing"  (Psalm  cxxxii.  17). 

'  There  is  also  a  sixth  article  which  is  called  the  Epigonation, 
which  is  bestowed  for  long  and  faithful  service,  and  conse- 
quently not  worn  by  the  younger  priests.  It  is  of  no  use, 
apparently,  being  merely  a  square,  stiff  thing  made  of  brocade, 
about  nine  inches  long  and  six  broad ;  it  is  trimmed  with  gold 
fringe,  and  with  an  embroidered  cross  in  the  middle ;  strings 
are  sewn  to  the  upper  corners,  and  secure  it  to  the  shoulder  of 
the  wearer. 

'  The  ejaculation  used  when  this  is  put  on  is,  "  Gird  thee  with 
thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  O  thou  most  mighty ./" 

*  The  Russian  name  for  the  Epigonation  signifies  something 
worn  on  the  hip.''* 

Milton  has  imitated  the  passage  : 

'  Go  then,  thou  Mightiest,  in  thy  Father's  might  ; 
Ascend  thy  chariot,  guide  the  rapid  wheels 
That  shake  heaven's  basis,  bring  forth  all  my  war, 
My  bow  and  thunder,  my  almighty  arms, 
Gird  on,  and  sword  upon  thy  puissant  thigh. '+ 

Verses  4  a?id  5.  Gird  thee  with  thy  sword  upon,  thy  thigh,  O 
thou  7nost  Mighty,  accordijig  to  thy  worship  and  renown.  Good 
luck  have  thou  with  thine  honour,  ride  on,  because  of  the  word  of 
truth,  of  meekness,  and  righteousness  ;  and  thy  right  hand  shall 
teach  thee  terrible  thiiigs. — There  is  much  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  ceremonies  with  which  the  Church  fenced  admission 
to  the  order  of  knighthood  were  drawn  in  a  great  measure  from 

*  GrcEco-RtiSsian  Church,  p.  89. 
t  Milton,  Bk.  vi.,  lines  710-714. 


2o8  PSALM-MOSAICS 

this  verse.  There  was  the  solemn  girding  on  of  the  sword  in 
front  of  the  altar,  the  triple  vow  to  defend  the  truth — the  word 
of  truth  ;  the  cause  of  widows  and  orphans — the  word  of  meek- 
ness ;  and  to  be  loyal,  just  and  true — the  word  of  righteousness  ; 
followed  by  the  new-made  knight  mounting  a  courser,  and 
rtdifig  in,  or  caracoling,  fully  armed,  to  display  his  strength  and 
dexterity."^ 

Verse  5.  Ride  on,  because  of  the  word  of  truth,  of  meekness, 
and  righteous7iess. — -'  What  love  (Henri  Perreyve)  won  from  all  ! 
Perhaps  he  was  the  man  whom  Pere  Lacordaire  loved  best  of 
all  the  world ;  it  was  to  Henri  that  that  noble  soul  addressed 
the  words,  "  You  live  eternally  in  my  heart,  as  my  son  and  my 
friend."  His  exquisite  moral  beauty  was  the  means  of  raising, 
guiding,  comforting  many  a  soul ;  worthy  follower  therein  of  his 
Master,  Whose  it  is  to  '''■ride  on  prosperously  because  of  truth  and 
meekness  and  righteousjiessP  "  Specie  tua  et  pulchritudine  tua 
intende,  prospere  procede,  et  regna." 

'  His  whole  life  was  but  one  noble,  earnest  call  which  sets 
no  lower  ideal  of  life  before  the  Christian  than  one  of  absolute 
moral  beauty,  the  very  Beauty  of  God  Himself  "  Be  ye  perfect, 
even  as  your  Father  Which  is  in  Heaven  is  perfect."  There 
is  but  one  way  to  attain  this  height,  either  practically  or 
intellectually ;  and  that  is,  to  aim  ceaselessly  at  all  that  is 
highest,  noblest,  most  beautiful ;  and  of  all  the  men  I  have 
ever  known,  this  dear  brother  pursued  such  an  aim  most 
earnestly.'t 

Verse  8.  Thoti  hast  loved  righteousness,  and  hated  iniquity. — 
When  St.  Gregory  VH.,  the  great  Reformer  of  the  Church  of 
the  eleventh  century,  lay  dying  at  Salerno,  his  last  words  were : 
'  Dilexi  justitiam  et  odii  iniquitate7?i,  et  ideo  inorior  in  exilio.^ 
One  of  those  who  stood  round  his  death-bed  answered  him, 
quoting  the  2nd  Psalm,  '  Servant  of  Christ,  in  exile  thou  canst 
not  die,  seeing  that  God  hath  given  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 

'•   Dr.  Neale's  Covivientary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  103. 

J  Henri  Perreyve,  by  H.  L.  Sidney  Lear,  p.  2. 


PSALM  XLV.  209 

inheritance,    and   the   uttermost   parts    of  the    earth    for    thy 
possession.'"^ 

Verse  10,  Uj^on  thy  right  hand  did  stand  the  queen  in  a 
vesture  of  gold. — Some  behold  here  the  Church  Triumphant, 
the  Jerusalem  that  is,  the  Mother  of  us  all,  while  others,  among 
them  Athanasius,  Hugh  of  St.  Victor,  the  Angelic  Doctor,  and 
St.  Peter  Damiani,  see  in  it  the  Blessed  Mother  of  God.  The 
Holy  Eastern  Church  has  put  its  seal  upon  this  interpretation 
in  the  office  of  Prothesis,  or  preparation  of  the  Bread  and  Wine 
for  the  Liturgy.  After  the  priest  has  cut  from  the  loaf  the  first 
portion,  technically  called  the  Holy  Lamb,  he  takes  a  second, 
and  saying,  '  In  honour  of  the  most  excellent  and  glorious  Lady, 
the  Mother  of  God  and  Ever-Virgin  Mary,  by  whose  interces- 
sions receive,  O  Lord,  this  Sacrifice  to  Thy  heavenly  Altar,'  he 
places  it  at  the  right  of  the  Holy  Lamb,  and  recites  this  verse 
of  the  Psalm. + 

Verse  11.  Hearken,  O  daughter,  and  consider,  incline  thine 
ear  ;  forget  also  thine  ouni  people,  and  thy  father'' s  house. — St. 
Chrysippus  calls  this  verse  and  the  following  the  bridal  song 
of  the  Mother  of  God. 

Archbishop  Warham  during  the  visitation  of  his  diocese 
visited  the  Priory  of  St.  Sepulchre,  a  foundation  of  nuns,  after 
a  sermon  on  the  text  Hearken,  O  daughter,  and  consider,  and 
incli?ie  thine  ear.  The  prioress  confesses  that  they  do  not  rise 
to  matins  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  but  at  daybreak,  because 
the  enclosures  of  the  convent  are  under  repair,  and  great 
tumults  were  heard  around  the  Church,  t 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  ii.,  p.  105. 

t  Ibid.,  p.  III. 

X  Diocesan  History  of  Canterbwy,  p.  222. 


M 


PSALM-MOSAICS. 


PSALM  XLVL 


Heading  (Delitzsch). — A  sure  stronghold  is  our  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Song  of  Holy  Confidence. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah,  in  which 
David  sings  concerning  the  affliction  that  happeneth  to  the 
people — As  respects  prophecy,  the  preaching  of  the  Apostles  is 
mystically  represented. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  and  the  two  following  Psalms  are 
hymns  of  triumph,  composed  on  the  occasion  of  some  great 
deliverance.  I  am  inclined  to  think  they  all  celebrate  the 
same  event,  the  sudden  and  miraculous  destruction  of  the 
army  of  Sennacherib  under  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 

In  Church. — In  the  Sarum  and  Latin  Use  this  Psalm  is 
appointed  on  the  Festival  of  the  Epiphany.  In  the  Sarum  Use 
it  was  appointed  also  for  Trinity  Sunday.* 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  is  said  to  be  Luther's 
favourite,  and  is  the  basis  of  his  hymn  : 

'  Ein  Feste  Burg,  ist  unser  Gott, 
Ein  gute  Wehr  und  Waffen 

'  A  safe  stronghold  our  GOD  is  still, 
A  trusty  shield  and  weapon.' 

The  Gra?id  Prince  Demetrius  in  his  advance  against  the 
Tartars  (called  the  Batde  of  the  Don,  1380),  when  his  heart 
failed,  was  cheered  and  supported  by  the  blessing  and  prayers 
of  Sergius. 

At  this  battle  he  sang  aloud  the  46th  Psalm.  No  historical 
picture  or  sculpture  in  Russia  is  more  frequent  than  that  which 
represents  the  youthful  warrior  receiving  the  benediction  of  the 
aged  hermit — Sergius  was  canonized  in  1428.  Demetrius 
himself  was  '  almost  a  Saint,'  in  that  he  went  daily  to  Church, 
received  the  Blessed  Sacrament  once  a  week,  and  wore  a  hair 
shirt  next  his  skin. 

*  Wordsworth's  Commentarv,  p.  71. 


PSALM  XLVI.  211 

He  is  as  dear  to  Russian  hearts,  and  as  familiar  among 
Russian  homes,  as  WiUiam  Tell  to  a  Swiss,  or  as  Joan  of  Arc 
to  a  Frenchman."^ 

Martin  Luther. — ^On  the  Easter  Tuesday  of  152 1  Luther  set 
forth  to  attend  the  Diet  of  Worms.  The  town  council  provided 
a  covered  waggon  for  him  to  travel  in,  with  four  companions 
— a  monk,  a  lawyer,  a  young  Swedish  nobleman,  and  another 
friend. 

At  Naumberg  a  priest  made  him  the  significant  present  of 
a  portrait  of  Savonarola,  whose  martyrdom  was  but  thirty-three 
years  old.  Luther  kissed  it,  and  the  priest  said  :  '  Be  steadfast 
to  thy  God,  and  He  will  be  steadfast  to  thee.' 

At  Weimar,  his  next  stage,  he  found  emissaries  everywhere 
posting  up  and  proclaiming  the  imperial  decrees  for  the  burn- 
ing of  his  works,  consequent  on  his  excommunication.  '  Well, 
Doctor,  will  you  go  on?'  said  the  herald.  'Yes,'  Luther 
answered  ;  '  though  they  should  kindle  a  fire  between  Wittem- 
berg  and  Wurms  to  reach  to  heaven,  I  will  go  on  !  I  will  con- 
fess Christ  in  Behemoth's  mouth,  between  his  great  teeth.' 

At  Erfurth,  his  old  University,  the  Rector  thereof,  at  the 
head  of  a  cavalcade  of  forty  horsemen,  met  him  two  miles  off 
and  brought  him  in  a  triumphal  procession  to  his  old  Augus- 
tinian  home,  where  he  was  warmly  welcomed.  "^\ 

When  Wurms  came  in  sight,  he  stood  up  in  the  waggon,  and 
began  to  sing  one  of  his  hymns.  It  is  believed  to  have  been 
his  paraphrase  of  the  46th  Psalm,  beginning  '  Ein  feste  Burg 
ist  unser  Gott,' which  is  often  called  Gustavus  Adolphus'  battle- 
song,  and  which  a  French  writer  terms  the  Marseillaise  of  the 
Reformation.! 

Luther  and  his  companions,  with  all  their  readiness  for  danger 
and  death  in  the  cause  of  truth,  had  times  when  their  feelings 
were  akin  to  those  of  a  divine  singer  who  said  :  '  Why  art  thou 
cast   down,  O  my  soul  !'     But  in  such  hours  the  unflinching 

*  Dean  Stanley's  Eastern  C/iurch,  p.  339. 
f   Cameos,  ^rd  series,  p.  391. 


212  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Reformer  would  cheerily  say  to  his  friend  Melancthon,  'Come, 
Philip,  let  us  sing  the  46th  Psalm.'"* 

The  Fem\  vidi,  vici  of  the  Psalter,  f 

I  think  Holy  Bernard  must  have  had  the  imagery  of  this 
Psalm  in  mind  when  he  sketched  that  striking  allegory  on  the 
efficacy  of  prayer.  He  supposes  Jerusalem  (the  Church)  be- 
sieged by  the  king  of  Babylon  (the  world),  and  reduced  to 
great  extremities ;  a  faint-hearted  soldier,  Fear,  exclaims  : 
'  Who  shall  help  us  now  ?'  Wisdom  replies  :  *  Dost  thou 
not  know  that  the  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver  ?  Is 
He  not  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  even  the  Lord  mighty  in  battle  ? 
We  will  send  a  messenger  to  Him.'  'What  messenger?' 
Fear  replies.  '  See  you  not  our  walls  begirt  with  an  armed 
nost?  what  messenger  can  find  or  force  his  way  through  such  ?' 
Wisdom  calls  to  Faith  and  bids  him  send  Prayer,  and  says  : 
'  Lo  !  here  is  a  messenger.'  Prayer  has  her  message,  flies  up 
to  heaven's  gate,  and  delivers  in  her  petitions.  Back  again 
returns  Prayer,  laden  with  the  news  of  consolation  and  de- 
liverance, that  were  their  enemies  more  innumerable  than  the 
locusts  of  Egypt,  and  more  strong  than  the  giant  sons  of  Anak, 
yet  *  God  is  a  very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble ;  He  will 
fight  for  you,  and  you  shall  be  delivered.' | 

Verse  2.  Though  the  earth  be  moved. — John  Wesley  preached 
in  Hyde  Park  on  the  occasion  of  the  earthquake  felt  in  Lon- 
don, March  8,  1750,  and  repeated  these  words.  Charles 
Wesley  composed  Hymn  67,  in  Wesley's  Collection,  the  fol- 
lowing lines  of  which  illustrate  this  verse  : — 

'  How  happy,  then,  are  we, 

Who  build,  O  Lord,  on  Thee  ! 
What  can  our  foundation  shock  ? 

Though  the  shatter'd  earth  remove, 
Stands  our  city  on  a  rock, 

On  the  rock  of  heavenly  love.'§ 

*  Hymn- Writers  and  their  Hymns,  1866. 

+  The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity. 

X  Daily  Comments  on  the  Psalms,  by  B.  Bouchier,  vol  i.,  p.  307. 

§  The  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  ii.,  p.  385. 


PSALM  XLVI.  213 

Verse  8.  O  cojne  hither,  mid  behold  the  works  of  the  Lord. — 
Dismantled  castles  and  ruined  abbeys  in  our  own  land  stand  as 
memorials  of  the  Lord's  victories  over  oppression  and  super- 
stition.    May  there  soon  be  more  of  such  desolations  ! 

'  Ye  gloomy  piles,  ye  tombs  of  living  men, 
Ye  sepulchres  of  womanhood,  or  worse  ; 
Ye  refuges  of  lies,  soon  may  ye  fall, 
And  'mid  your  ruins  may  the  owl  and  bat 
And  dragon  find  congenial  resting-place  !'* 

Verse  11.  The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  with  us  ;  the  God  of  Jacob 
is  our  Refuge. — The  death  of  John  Wesley  is  the  death  of  the 
triumphant  Christian.  God  grant  that  my  last  end  may  be 
like  his  !  The  evening  came  on.  '  How  necessary  it  is,'  he 
exclaimed,  *  for  everyone  to  be  on  the  right  foundation  ! 

'  I  the  chief  of  sinners  am, 
But  Jesus  died  for  me. 

We  must  be  justified  by  faith,  and  then  go  on  to  full  sancti- 
fication.' 

The  next  day  he  was  lethargic.  '  There  is  no  way  into  the 
holiest  but  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,'  he  said  in  a  low  but  distinct 
voice. 

Shaking  off  the  languor  of  disease,  he  repeated  two  or  three 
times  during  the  day :  '  We  have  boldness  to  enter  into  the 
holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.' 

On  Tuesday,  the  ist  of  March,  he  sank  rapidly;  but  he 
wished  to  depart,  as  so  many  thousands  of  his  followers  had, 
with  '  singing  and  shouting.'  He  began  the  day  by  singing  one 
of  his  brother's  lyrics  : 

'  All  glory  to  God  in  the  sky.' 

His  voice  failed  at  the  end  of  the  second  stanza.  He  asked 
for  pen  and  ink,  but  could  not  write.  A  friend  taking  the  pen 
to  write  for  him,  asked  :  '  What  shall  I  write  ?'  '  Nothing,'  re- 
plied the   dying  patriarch,  '  but  that  God  is  with  us.'     During 

*  The  late  Mr.  Spurgeon  ( Treasury  of  David,  vol.  ii.,  p.  383). 


214  PSALM. MOSAICS 

the  forenoon  he  again  surprised  his  mourning  friends  by  sing- 
ing the  rapturous  hymn  : 

'  I'll  praise  my  Maker  while  I've  breath.' 

Still  later  he  seemed  to  summon  his  remaining  strength  to 
speak,  but  could  only  say  in  broken  accents  :  '  Nature  is — 
nature  is ' 

One  of  his  attendants  added,  '  nearly  exhausted ;  but  you 
are  entering  a  new  nature,  and  into  the  society  of  blessed 
spirits.'  '  Certainly,'  he  responded,  clasping  his  hands  and 
exclaiming,  'Jesus  !'  But  his  voice  failed,  and  though  his  lips 
continued  to  move,  his  murmurings  could  not  be  understood. 

He  was  placed  on  his  chair,  and,  with  a  failing  voice,  he 
prayed  aloud  :  '  Lord,  Thou  that  givest  strength  to  those  that 
speak  and  those  that  cannot ;  speak.  Lord,  to  all  our  hearts, 
and  let  them  know  that  Thou  loosest  the  tongue.'  Raising  his 
voice,  he  sang  two  lines  of  the  Doxology.  But  he  could  pro- 
ceed no  further.  '  Now  we  have  done,  let  us  all  go,'  he  added. 
The  ruling  passion  was  strong  in  death  ;  he  evidently  supposed 
himself  dismissing  one  of  his  assemblies.  He  was  again  laid 
upon  his  bed,  to  rise  no  more.  After  a  short  sleep  he  called 
those  present  to  offer  prayer  and  praise.  They  knelt  around 
his  bed,  says  one  of  them  ;  '  the  room  seemed  filled  with  the 
Divine  Presence.'  A  second  time  they  knelt  in  like  manner, 
and  his  fervent  responses  showed  that  he  was  yet  able  to  share 
in  their  devotions.  He  uttered  an  emphatic  '  Amen '  to  a 
point  of  the  prayer  which  alluded  to  the  perpetuation  and 
universal  spread  of  the  doctrine  and  discipline  to  which  he 
had  devoted  his  life.  When  they  rose  from  their  knees  he  took 
leave  of  each,  grasping  their  hands  and  saying :  '  Farewell, 
Friends.'  Soon  after  another  visitor  entered  the  chamber.  He 
attempted  to  speak,  but  observing  that  he  could  not  be  under- 
stood, he  paused,  and  collecting  all  his  strength,  exclaimed  : 
*  The  best  of  all  is,  God  is  ivith  us  P  '  Who  are  these  ?'  he  asked, 
noticing  a  group  of  persons  at  his  bedside.  '  Sir,'  replied 
Rogers,  who  with  his  wife,  Hester  Ann  Rogers,  ministered  to 


PSALM  XLVI.  21  s 

him  in  his  last  hours,  '  Sir,  we  are  come  to  rejoice  with  you  ; 
you  are  going  to  receive  your  crown.'  '  It  is  the  Lord's  doing, 
and  marvellous  in  our  eyes,'  he  replied.  On  being  informed 
that  the  widow  of  Charles  Wesley  was  come,  he  said  in  allusion 
to  his  deceased  brother  :  '  He  giveth  His  saints  rest.'  He 
thanked  her  as  she  pressed  his  hand,  and  affectionately  en- 
deavoured to  kiss  her.  As  they  wetted  his  lips,  he  said  :  '  We 
thank  Thee,  O  Lord,  for  these  and  all  Thy  mercies  ;  bless  the 
Church  and  King,  and  grant  us  truth  and  peace,  through  Jesus 
Christ  Our  Lord,  for  ever  and  ever.'  It  was  his  usual  thanks- 
giving after  meals.  '  He  causeth  His  servants  to  lie  down  m 
peace.'  'The  clouds  drop  fatness.'  ^  T/ie  Lord  is  7vith  us  ; 
the  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge.^  Such  were  some  of  his  broken 
but  rapturous  ejaculations  in  these  last  hours. 

Again  he  summoned  the  company  to  kneel  and  pray  at  his 
bedside.  The  chamber  had  become  not  merely  a  sanctuary,  it 
seemed  the  gate  of  heaven.  He  joined  in  the  service  with 
increased  fervour. 

During  the  night  he  attempted  frequently  to  repeat  the  hymn 
of  Watts  which  he  had  sung  the  preceding  day,  but  could  only 
utter,  '  I'll  praise,  I'll  praise.' 

The  next  morning  the  sublime  scene  closed.  Joseph  Brad- 
ford, long  his  ministerial  travelling  companion,  the  sharer  of  his 
trials  and  successes,  prayed  with  him.  '  Farewell !'  was  the 
last  word  and  benediction  of  the  dying  apostle.* 


PSALM  XLVII. 

Zr^^^/7z^(Delitzsch).— Exultation  at  the    Lord's  Ascension. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah — con- 
cerning the  glory  of  God  on  Mount  Sinai ;  also  referring  to  the 
calling  of  the  Gentiles. 

Origin   (Perowne).  —  I   see  no   reason,  however,    why    the 
Psalm  should  not  have  been  composed,  like  the  46th  and  48th, 
*  Steven's  History  of  Methodism. 


2i6  PSALM-MOSAICS 

after  the  defeat  of  Sennacherib  ;  and  Hupfield  is,  I  think,  right 
in  calling  it  'a  lyrical  expansion  of  the  idea  prominent  in 
xlvi.  lo  (ii),  that  Jehovah  is  high  exalted  above  the  nations, 
and  the  great  King  over  all  the  earth. 

/;/  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  for  Ascension  Day. 
In  the  Latin  Use  and  the  Sarum  Use  it  is  appointed  also  for 
Trinity  Sunday.* 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Bishop  Heber  has  made  this  Psalm  the 
foundation  of  one  of  the  graceful  effusions  of  his  pious 
muse. 


PSALM  XLVIIL 

Headijig  (Delitzsch). — The  inaccessibleness  of  the  city  of 
God. 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — Written  by  the  sons  of  Korah  against  the 
pride  of  the  Gentiles  ;  a  hymn  of  the  Church  to  God  ;  the 
destruction  of  the  persecutors. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm,  there  is  every  reason  to 
suppose,  was  composed  on  the  same  occasion  as  the  two  pre- 
ceding. It  celebrates  God's  protecting  care  of  Jerusalem,  and 
especially  the  deliverance  of  the  city  from  the  army  of  Senna- 
cherib (2  Kings  xviii.  19  ;  Isa.  xxxvi.),  as  may  be  inferred  from 
many  verbal  coincidences  which  present  themselves  on  a  com- 
parison of  the  Psalm  with  the  prophecies  of  Israel  relating  to 
the  Assyrian  invasion. 

In  ChnrcJi. — This  Psalm  was  used  in  the  Temple  service 
for  the  second  day  throughout  the  year.  The  victory 
which  this  Psalm  celebrates,  over  the  confederate  forces 
of  hostile  powers  rising  in  rebellion  against  God  and  His 
Church,  will  be  effected,  not  by  an  arm  of  flesh,  but  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.   '  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit, 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Co/nmeitiaty,  p.  72. 


PSALM  XLVIII.  217 

saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,'  and  therefore  the  present  Psalm  is 
appointed  for  Whitsun  Day.  The  Sarum  Use,  the  Latin  Use, 
the  Gregorian  Use,  and  the  present  Church  of  England  Use 
agree  in  this.  In  the  two  former  it  is  appointed  also  for 
Christmas  Day  and  Trinity  Sunday ;  and  it  is  described  in  the 
Syriac  version  as  a  thanksgiving  of  the  Church  to  God  for  the 
destruction  of  the  persecutors. 

Ferse  2.   T/ie  hill  of  Sion  is  a  fair  place. 

'  Fair  Jerusalem, 
The  holy  city,  Hfted  high  her  towers, 
And  higher  yet  the  glorious  temple  rear'd 
Her  pile,  far  off  appearing  like  a  mount 
Of  alabaster,  topt  with  golden  spires,'* 

Verse  3.  For^  lo,  the  kings  were  assembled^  they  passed  by 
together. — ' No  sooner  together  than  scattered.  What!  Have 
they  so  suddenly  fled  ?  Even  thus  shall  the  haters  of  the 
Church  vanish  from  the  field.  Papists,  Ritualists,  Arians, 
Sceptics,  they  shall  each  have  their  day,  and  shall  pass  on  to 
the  limbo  of  forgetfulness.'t 

Verse  12.   Mark  well  her  bulwarks. 

'  O  none  can  tell  thy  bulwarks, 

How  gloriously  they  rise  ; 
O  none  can  tell  thy  capitals 

Of  beautiful  device  ! 
Thy  loneliness  oppresses 

All  human  thought  and  heart  ; 
And  none,  O  peace,  O  Sion, 

Can  sing  thee  as  thou  art.'t 

Verse  13.  For  this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever ;  He 
shall  be  our  Guide  unto  death. — The  martyred  Bishop  Hanning- 
ton  was  consecrated  to  the  work  and  office  of  a  Bishop  in  the 
Church  of  God  on  St.  John  Baptist's  Day,  June  24,  1888,  in  the 
parish  church  of  Lambeth. 

*  Paradise  Regained. 

t  The  late  Mr.  Spurgeon  {Treasury  of  David,  vol.  ii.,  p.  403). 

t  St.  Bernard.- 


2i8  PSALM -MOSAICS 

On  that  day  two  missionary  bishops  were  consecrated  for 
foreign  work,  the  other  being  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  A.  J.  K. 
Anson,  who  was  appointed  to  the  diocese  of  Assiniboia. 

Shortly  before  eleven  o'clock  the  two  Bishops-designate  met 
the  Archbishop  together  with  the  Bishops  of  London,  St. 
Albans,  Rochester,  Lichfield,  Dover,  Ohio,  and  Saskatchewan, 
in  the  library  of  Lambeth  Palace ;  thence  they  proceeded  to 
the  church.  As  the  procession  entered  the  sacred  building  the 
Choir  chanted  the  Magnus  Dominus,  Psalm  xlviii.,  the  conclud- 
ing words  of  which  came  to  the  two  new  Bishops  as  a  message 
from  heaven — to  Hannington  almost  as  an  omen — '  T/iis  God 
is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever ;  He  shall  be  our  Guide  U7ito 
deatJii' 

In  due  course  the  two  Bishops-designate  are  kneeling  before 
the  Archbishop,  and  the  Veni  Creator  is  sung  : 

'  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire, 
And  lighten  with  celestial  fire.' 

And  when  they  rise  it  is  with  the  injunction  that  they  so  care 
for  the  flock  entrusted  to  them,  that  when  the  Chief  Shepherd 
shall  appear,  they  may  receive  the  never-fading  crown  of  glory, 
through  Jesus  Christ  their  Lord."^  Bishop  Hannington  met 
a  martyr's  death  in  Central  Africa,  and  his  bones,  discovered  in 
a  wonderful  way,  will  rest  beneath  the  Cathedral  of  the  See  at 
Uganda. 

PSALM  XLIX. 

Beadi?ig  (Delitzsch). — Of  the  vanity  of  Earthly  prosperity 
and  good ;  a  Didactic  poem. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  the  Sons  of  Korah  :  a  pro- 
phecy concerning  the  power  of  the  Gentiles  and  the  doctrine 
of  Divine  Judgment. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  is  not  inaptly  described  in 
the  ancient  Latin  version  of  the  Psalms  (published  with  the 

*  Life  of  Bishop  Hannington,  p.  2^8. 


PSALM  XLIX.  219 

Anglo-Saxon  Paraphrase  by  Thorpe),   as    Vox  Ecdesice  super 
Lazaro  et  divite  piirpiirato* 

Strange  it  is  that  two  Psahiis  so  near  together  as  this  and 
the  forty-fifth  should,  and  should  alone,  imitate,  or  be  the  fore- 
runners of  two  works  of  David's  son  ;  this — Ecclesiastes,  the 
former — the  Canticles,  f 

Verse  4.  /  will  incli7ie  mine  ear. — The  inclining  of  the  ear  is 
the  act  significant  of  ready  obedience  on  the  part  of  man  ;  the 
revealing  or  uncovering  the  ear  denotes  the  imparting  of  super- 
natural knowledge,  heavenly  wisdom,  and  the  like,  on  the  part 
of  God  —  Isa.  1.  5.  Similarly  Wordsworth,  speaking  of  a 
maiden  whose  soul  is  filled,  and  whose  very  features  are 
moulded  by  the  inspiration  caught  from  the  world  of  Nature : 

' .  .  .  she  shall  lean  her  ear 
,-    In  many  a  secret  place, 

Where  rivulets  dance  their  wayward  round, 
And  beauty  born  of  murmuring  sound 
Shall  pass  into  her  face. 'J 

My  dark  speech  upon  the  harp. — What  dark  speech  ?  Surely 
this,  that  '  it  is  better  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning  than  to 
the  house  of  feasting.' 

'  As  the  string  of  minstrel's  lyre 
Yields  at  length  its  note  entire, 

When  he  striketh  with  the  key, 
So  the  martyr's  cruel  straining 
On  the  psaltery  of  paining, 

Maketh  Christian  melody.'§ 

Verses  6  lo  16.  '  There  he  some  that  put  their  trust  in 
goods.  .  .  .—Nowhere,  perhaps,  has  this  subject  (the  powerless- 
ness  of  those  who  trust  in  their  wealth)  been  more  finely  treated 
than  by  Massillon  in  the  first  part  of  his  sermon,  '  Sur  la  Mort 
du  Pecheur  et  la  Mort  du  Juste.'|| 

'■<■   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  385. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  151. 

X    The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  384. 
§   'Adam  of  St.  Victor'  tDr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  154)- 
II  Alt  Inirodnction  to  the  Study  and  Use  of  the  Psalms,  by  J.  F.  Thrupp, 
vol.  i.,  p.  288. 


220  PSALM. MOSAICS 

Verse  14.  Death  gnaweth  upon  them  (LXX.,  Death  shall  be 
their  shepherd). — St.  Augustine  says  :  '  Death  is  the  shepherd 
of  the  infidel.  Life  (/.^.,  Christ)  is  the  Shepherd  of  the  faith- 
ful.' 'In  inferno  sunt  oves  quibus  pastor  Mors  est;  in  coelo 
sunt  oves  quibus /^^/^r  Vita  est.''     And  so  Keble — 

'  Even  as  a  flock  arrayed  are  they 
For  the  dark  grave  ;  Death  guides  their  way, 
Death  is  their  shepherd  now.'* 

Verse  1 7.  For  he  shall  carry  nothing  away  with  him  when  he 
dieth. 

'  Haud  ullas  portabis  opes  Acherontis  ad  undas, 
Nudus  ab  inferna,  stulte,  vehere  rate.t 

'  No  wealth  canst  thou  carry  to  Acheron's  pool, 
Naked  shalt  thou  be  borne  in  hell's  wherry,  thou  fool.' 

He  shall  carry  7iothi?ig  aicay  with  him  when  he  dieth^  neither 
shall  his  pomp  follow  him. — -The  Psalmist  teaches  us  that  the 
rich  man  '  shall  carry  nothing  away  with  him  when  he  dieth, 
neither  shall  his  pomp  follow  him'  (xlix.  17).  And  the  Apcstle, 
that  '  as  we  brought  nothing  into  this  world,  so  it  is  certain  we 
can  carry  nothing  out'  (i  Tim.  ii.  7). 

These  words  require  no  confirmation  :  and  yet  the  great  Earl 
of  Warwick  is  well  chosen  to  speak  as  follows  when  he  comes 
to  die : 

*  Lo,  now  my  glory  smeared  in  dust  and  blood  I 
My  parks,  my  walks,  my  manors  that  I  had, 
Even  now  forsake  me,  and  of  all  my  lands 
Is  nothing  left  me  but  my  body's  length  ! 
Why,  what  vi pomp,  rule,  reign,  but  earth  and  dust? 
And  live  we  how  we  can,  yet  die  lue  viust.^ 

King  Henry  VI.,  Part  III.,  Act.  V.,  Sc.  ii.J 

I  remember  an  Eastern  legend  which  I  have  always  thought 
furnished  a  remarkable  though  unconscious  commentary  on 
these  words   of  the  Psalmist.     Alexander  the   Great,  we  are 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commejitaiy. 

+  Propertitis,  iii.  3,  35. 

X  Shakespeare  a?td  the  Bible,  p.  290. 


PSALM  L. 


there  told,  being  upon  his  death-bed,  commanded  that  when 
he  was  carried  forth  to  the  grave  his  hands  should  not  be 
wrapped  as  was  usual  in  the  cere-cloths,  but  should  be  left 
outside  the  bier,  so  that  all  might  see  them,  and  might  see 
that  they  were  empty,  that  there  was  nothing  in  them  ;  that 
he,  born  to  one  empire,  and  the  conqueror  of  another,  the 
possessor  while  he  lived  of  two  worlds— of  the  East  and  of  the 
West — and  of  the  treasures  of  both,  yet  now  when  he  was  dead 
could  retain  no  smallest  portion  of  these  treasures  ;  that  in  this 
matter  the  poorest  beggar  and  he  were  at  length  upon  equal 
terms.  "^ 


PSALM  L. 

Headi?ig  (Delitzsch). — Divine  discourse  concerning  the  true 
sacrifice  and  worship. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Written  by  Asaph  the  prophet  concerning 
the  legal  sacrifices  of  the  covenant  of  Moses  and  their  abroga- 
tion. In  which  also  God  warns  that  if  we  do  not  keep  His 
commandments  we  shall  be  reprobate  before  Him,  for  this 
reason,  that  we  have  contemned  the  inspired  Scriptures. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  furnishes  us  with  no  evidence 
as  to  the  time  of  its  composition,  but  in  elegance  and  sublimity 
of  language,  in  force  and  dignity,  it  is  worthy  of  the  best  days 
of  Hebrew  poetry. 

The  Whole  Psahii. — There  is  a  mystery  about  the  authorship 
of  that  wonderful  hymn,  Dies  Irse,  '  Day  of  judgment,  day  of 
burning,'  which  adds  to  its  power  as  it  falls  from  the  bosom  of 
distant  centuries,  like  the  tones  of  a  cathedral  bell,  dropping 
slow  and  solemn  from  the  tower  at  midnight.  It  is  now 
generally  ascribed  to  Thomas  of  Celano,  who  lived  in  the 
thirteenth  century  ;  but  little  is  known  of  him. 

The   first  verse  of  the  hymn,  'Teste  David  cum  Sibylla,' 

*  Archbishop  Trench. 


222  PSALM-MOSAICS 

represents  the  heathen  prophetess  as  joining  David  in  looking 
forward  to  the  consummation  of  all  things  in  the  fire  of  the 
final  day.  It  has  been  matter  of  discussion  what  passage  in 
the  Psalms  is  referred  to,  and  opinions  are  divided  between 
Psalm  1.  3,  and  Psalm  cii.  26.  The  starting  note  seems 
struck  most  distinctly  in  these  sublime  words,  '  Our  God  shall 
come,  and  shall  not  keep  silence :  a  fire  shall  devour  before 
Him,  and  it  shall  be  very  tempestuous  round  about  Him.  He 
shall  call  to  the  heavens  from  above,  and  to  the  earth,  that  He 
may  judge  His  people.'* 

Verse  15.  Ca//  iip07i  Me  in  the  time  of  t7'02ible,  so  will  I  hear 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  praise  Me. — Robinson  Crusoe,  when  ship- 
wrecked (June  28,  1660),  said  :  'These  words  were  very  apt  to 
my  case.' 

PSALM  LI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Penitential  prayer  and  intercession 
for  restoration  to  favour. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— '  It  is  a  marvel,  but  nevertneless  a  fact,  that 
writers  have  been  found  to  deny  David's  authorship  of  this 
Psalm  ;  but  their  objections  are  frivolous,  the  Psalm  is  David-like 
all  over.  It  would  be  far  easier  to  imitate  Milton,  Shakespeare, 
or  Tennyson,  than  David.  His  style  is  altogether  siii generis, 
and  is  as  easily  distinguishable  as  the  touch  of  Raffaelle  or  the 
colouring  of  Rubens. 't 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David— when  he  sinned  and 
killed  Uriah  ;  and  as  respects  ourselves,  containing  instruction, 
and  inculcating  the  duty  of  confession. 

Origin  (Perowne). — I  see,  then,  no  ground  for  departing  from 
the  constant  and  reasonable  belief  of  the  Church,  that  the  Psalm 
was   written  by  David  under  the  circumstances  indicated  in 

*    The  Psabns  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  82. 
t    7 he  Treasiity  of  David,  vol.  ii.,  p.  449. 


PSALM  LI.  223 

the  title. — A  Psalm  of  David,  when  Nathan  the  Prophet  came 
unto  him,  after  he  had  gone  in  to  Bathsheba. 

Si.  Athanasius  calls  the  Psalm  -^aXihlic,   s^ofMoXo'yr;fff;u<;. 

'  Not  of  an  age,  but  for  all  time:— This  Psalm,  written  three 
thousand  years  ago,  might  have  been  written  yesterday  ;  it 
describes  the  vicissitudes  of  spiritual  life  in  an  Englishman  as 
truly  as  in  a  Jew."^ 

I7t  Church. — And  now  let  us  turn  to  the  use  of  this  Psalm 
in  the  Church.  St.  Basil  in  one  of  his  epistles  gives  us  a  par- 
ticular description  of  the  Antelucan  or  night  assemblies,  though 
but  in  general  terms,  whilst  he  makes  an  apology  for  the 
practices  of  his  own  Church  against  some  who  charged  them 
with  innovations.  The  words  are  these  :  '  The  customs,'  says 
he,  '  which  now  prevail  among  us  are  consonant  and  agreeable 
to  all  the  Churches  of  God.  For  with  us  the  people,  rising 
early,  whilst  it  is  night,  come  to  the  house  of  Prayer,  and  there 
with  much  labour,  and  affection,  and  contrition,  and  tears  make 
confession  of  their  sins  to  God.  When  this  is  done  they  rise 
from  prayer  and  dispose  themselves  to  psalmody :  sometimes 
dividing  themselves  into  two  parts,  they  aiiswer  one  another 
itt  singing  or  singing  alternatively — a\Tt^a7,7.ov6i)j  dy.XriAoi:,  and 
after  this,  again,  they  permit  me  alone  to  begin  the  Psalms  ; 
the  rest  Join  in  the  close  of  every  verse — b'-TTrr/^ovai.  And  thus, 
with  this  variety  of  psalmody,  they  carry  on  the  night,  prayifig 
betwixt  whiles.,  or  intermingling  prayer  with  their  Psalms— 
ixiTa^x)  '7Tpo(n'jyj>!Mvoi.  At  last,  when  the  day  begins  to  break  forth, 
they  all  in  common,  as  with  one  mouth  and  one  heart.,  offer  tip 
to  God  the  Psalm  of  Confession — -ou  rra  s^ofJoXoyrja-iu;  -^aX/xoiJ 
ro^j  Kvpiii)  ai/a^sjpouor/— everyone  making  the  words  of  this  Psalm 
to  be  the  expression  of  his  own  repentance !  Here  we  have 
the  plain  order  of  these  nocturnal  or  morning  devotions  : 
(i)  Confession  of  sins.  (2)  Psalms  sung  alternately.  (3) 
Psalms  sung  by  one  alone.  (4)  Prayer  between  the  Psalms. 
(5)  Lastly,  the  common  Psalm  of  Confession,  or  the  Peni- 
*  Sermon  VII.  (2nd  Series),  by  F.  W.  Robertson,  p.  96. 


224  PSALM-MOSAICS 

tential  Psalm,  in  the  close  of  all.  This  Psalm  was  particularly 
noted  among  the  ancients  by  the  name  of  T/ie  Psalm  of  Con- 
fession.^''' 

In  the  Roman  Church  it  is  the  first  Psalm  of  Lauds  on 
Monday,  and  the  second  in  the  Benedictine  Lauds.  It  is 
recited  with  the  other  Penitential  Psalms  in  the  public  ex- 
pulsion of  penitents  on  Ash  Wednesday,  in  the  absolution  of 
an  excommunicate  person,  and  it  is  used  as  the  third  Psalm  of 
the  Reconciliation  of  Penitents  on  Maundy  Thursday.  It  is 
one  of  the  Psalms  which  may  be  used  in  the  Visitation  of  the 
Sick,  and  is  appointed  for  use  in  the  Burial  of  the  Dead. 

In  the  Eastern  Church  it  is  sung  in  the  Morning  Office; 
together  with  Psalm  xcv.  6-11  in  the  Confession  of  Penitents  ; 
also  at  the  Unction  of  the  Sick  and  at  the  Burial  of  the  Dead 
— both  priests  and  laity.  It  is  also  recited  in  the  Liturgy  of  St. 
Chrysostom,  by  the  Deacon  and  Priest  together,  after  the  censing 
which  follows  the  Cherubic  Hymn. 

In  the  English  Church  this  Psalm  is  used  in  the  Commination 
Service  on  Ash  Wednesday. 

In  the  Armenian  Church  it  is  said  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Office  for  Holy  Baptism,  and  at  the  Unction  of  the  Sick. 

Mrs.  Romanoff,  in  her  interesting  book,  graphically  de- 
scribes the  singing  of  this  Psalm  in  the  Liturgy :  '  After 
kissing  the  sacred  picture  and  the  royal  gates,  he  (the 
Bishop  in  this  case — in  others  a  priest)  waves  incense  round 
the  throne,  and  then  comes  out  again  from  the  royal  gates 
(which  are  open  all  the  time  of  a  Bishop's  Liturgy,  except  during 
the  consecration  and  receiving  of  the  elements),  and  waving  it 
to  the  people,  repeating,  not  intoning,  part  of  Psalm  li.  Never 
in  my  life,  from  the  lips  of  Englishman,  German,  or  Russian, 
did  I  hear  any  portion  of  Scripture  so  exquisitely  yet  so  simply, 
so  free  from  all  effort,  repeated  as  those  few  verses.  Com- 
pletely unprepared,  and  situated  so  as  to  be  able  to  hear  the 
slightest  intonations  of  his  voice,  I  drank  in  every  syllable — 
tears,  to  my  own  extreme  surprise,  streaming  down  my  face. 

*  Bingham f  vol.  iv.,  p.  569. 


PSALM  LI.  225 

^^  Make  me  to  hear  of  Joy  and  gladness,  that  the  bones  which  thou 
hast  broken  may  rejoice^'  were  the  last  words  I  heard,  as  he 
turned  unto  the  altar  again,  and  I  think  I  shall  never  forget 
them.  The  congregation  glanced  at  each  other  in  silent 
rapture.  '"^ 

The  Whole  Psalm . — This  Psalm  has,  of  all  inspired  com- 
positions, with  the  one  exception  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  been 
repeated  oftenest  by  the  Church.  How  often,  then,  and  under 
what  various  circumstances,  has  this  Psalm  been  recited  in  all 
ages  !  For  some  thirteen  hundred  years,  wherever  the  hours 
were  kept,  it  was  said  seven  times  a  day.  Well  may  St. 
Augustine  say,  'O  most  blessed  sin  of  David,  so  gloriously 
atoned  for  !  O  most  happy  fault,  which  has  brought  so  many 
straying  sheep  to  the  Good  Shepherd.' 

One  hundred  and  fifty-nine  Catholic  commentators,  twenty- 
seven  Lutheran,  and  many  Calvinistic  commentators  have 
written  upon  this  Psalm,  while  one,  Alfonso  de  Tostado,  has 
published  a  folio  volume  of  1,200  pages  on  it.  Thus,  as  Dr. 
Neale  remarks,  how  dear  it  has  been  to  the  Church  in  all  ages, 
and  not  only  so,  but  for  those  beyond  the  Church  it  has  its 
own  charm,  for  the  precious  ointment  of  this  Psalm  not  only 
ran  down  the  beard,  and  went  down  to  the  skirts  of  Aaron's 
clothing,  but  was  diffused  even  among  the  other  sheep  which 
were  not  of  the  fold. 

It  may  be  noticed  here  how  many  theological  expressions 
have  their  first  origin  in  this  Psalm,  and  how  many  great 
theological  verities  are  therein  set  forth.  "  The  Kyrie  Eleison 
at  the  beginning;  the  dean  heart ;  the  broken  a?id  co?itrite 
heart ;  the  sin7ier  shall  be  converted  ;  and  above  all,  here  is  first 
to  be  noticed  the  first  faint  foreshadowing  of  one  of  the  founda- 
tion truths  of  the  Catholic  faith— -^^^^  not  Thy  Holy  Spirit 
from  me:  Of  the  great  theological  truths,  'here  you  have  the 
Incarnation  ;  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles ;  sin,  both  original  and 
actual ;  the  nature  and  effect  of  preaching  ;  grace,  both  justify- 

*  Rites  and  Custofiis  of  the  Graco-Russian  Church,  pp.  403,  404. 


226  PSALM-MOSAICS 

ing  and  sanctifying ;  the  Atonement ;  the  Institution  of  the 
Church;  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'* 

Persotial  Testi7nony. — When  we  come  to  the  personal  testi- 
monies of  this  Psalm,  we  may  truly  say  that  millions  of 
penitents  have  found  in  it  a  well-spring  of  hope  and  contrition. 
Savonarola,  the  great  preacher,  reserved  it  for  a  tim^  of  trouble, 
and  wrote  a  comment  on  it  while  in  prison  before  his  death. 
As  Godfrey  de  Bouillon  and  his  Crusaders  rode  into  Jerusalem, 
this  Psalm  was  being  sung  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
Agam  and  again  it  has  soothed  and  comforted  the  last  hours  of 
the  dying. 

St.  Margaret  of  Scotland  repeated  it  on  her  death-bed,  as  she 
held  a  fragment  of  the  True  Cross,  and  waited  for  tidings  of  her 
husband  and  sons. 

Henry  V.  had  it  recited  to  him  in  his  last  agony,  and  he 
repeated  the  words,  '  Build  thou  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,'  saying, 
had  he  lived,  he  had  purposed  delivering  Jerusalem  from  the 
Infidel. 

The  Chevalier  Bayard,  the  noble  and  true,  as  he  lay  a-dying 
said,  kissing  the  cruciform  hilt  of  his  sword,  '  Aliserere  mei  Deus 
secundutn  magnaifi  77iisericordiam  tiia7n.^ 

Lady  Jane  Grey  recited  it  before  her  executioners,  and  so  did 
the  martyr  Sir  Thomas  More,  kneeling  down,  and  in  a  loud 
voice. 

The  noble-minded  Egmont,  during  the  troublous  times  of 
Philip  II.,  found  comfort  in  its  words  as  he  went  his  way  to  an 
ignominious  death. 

The  last  words  of  John  Oecolampadius,  the  Swiss  Reformer, 
who  died  in  1531,  were  those  which  he  distinctly,  though  with 
panting,  breathed  for  the  remission  of  his  sins,  using  this  peni- 
tential prayer  of  David;  and  so,  too,  a  few  years  later,  died 
Bullinger,  another  Swiss  Reformer. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  181,  182. 


PSALM  LI.  227 

The  martyr  Rogers  recited  the  same  on  his  way  to  the  stake; 
and  its  words  of  penitence  and  prayer  fell  upon  the  dying  ears 
of  Arnold  of  Rugby. 

Indeed,  the  history  of  this  Psalm  is  the  history  of  the  Christian 
soul,  and  in  it  the  suffering  and  sinning  of  all  ages  have  found 
the  expression  of  their  own  unworthiness  and  the  comfort  that 
comes  from  a  true  confession. 

^  Where  sin  hath  abounded  grace  did  much  more  abound' — 
For  consider  how,  for  nearly  three  thousand  years,  that  sin  of 
David,  that  one  momentary  glance  from  the  housetop,  has 
given  occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord,  in  each  successive 
age,  to  blaspheme,  down  from  the  Lucians  and  Porphyries  of 
primitive  times,  to  the  Voltaires  and  Humes  and  Paines  of  our 
own.  And  yet,  no  doubt,  the  encouragement  it  has  given  to 
those  who  otherwise  would  have  despaired,  may  be  known  to 
the  Searcher  of  all  Hearts,  far  to  outweigh  the  mischief  and  the 
blasphemy.  So  St.  Augustine  said  in  his  time  :  so  St.  Bernard 
taught  in  his  :  so  the  latest  of  those  who  have  any  claim  to  the 
title  of  mediaeval  teachers,  St.  Thomas  de  Villanova,  more  than 
once  asserts :  so  the  great  Schools  which  have  their  rise  on 
the  one  hand  from  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  on  the  other  from  De 
Hauranne,  differing  as  far  as  Catholics  can  possibly  differ  on  the 
subject,  are  nevertheless  agreed  in  this.  One  can  only  remember 
St.  Augustine's  words,  with  respect  to  a  still  sadder  fall,  and  apply 
them  to  this :  '  O  Sin  of  Adam,  certainly  necessary,  which 
merited  such  and  so  great  a  Redeemer.'* 

Joh7i  Keble  in  the  Order  for  the  Visitation  of  the 
Sick  which  he  generally  used,  introduced  this^Psalm.  He 
commonly  began  with  the  first  Prayer  for  Good  Friday, 
'  This  thy  servant '  being  substituted  for  '  This  thy  family '; 
then  there  would  be  always  some  kind  of  confession,  very 
frequently  the  fifty-first  Psalm  (indeed,  I  believe,  he  very 
seldom,   if  ever,  said  prayers  with  any  sick  person   without 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  182. 


228  PSALM-MOSAICS 

introducing  some  verses  at  least  of  that  Psalm) ;  then  came  the 
prayer  in  the  Visitation  Service,  and  often  Collects,  special 
petitions  being  introduced  here  and  there,  to  suit  the  particular 
case,  sometimes  in  his  own  words,  sometimes  in  the  words  of 
the  Psalm,  or  of  the  Prayer-Book.  When  death  was  imminent, 
over  and  above  the  Commendatory  Prayer,  I  have  known  him 
repeat  at  intervals  verses  or  passages  of  Scripture,  interspersed 
with  short  suffrages  and  ejaculations,  extending  over  a  consider- 
able space  of  time.* 

Zady  Jane  Grey,  the  Queen  of  ten  days,  and  but  sixteen 
years  of  age  at  her  cruel  death,  found  comfort  in  this  Psalm. 
The  only  thing  recorded  of  Lady  Jane  Grey  concerning  her 
husband  at  his  execution  was,  'that  Jane  looked  from  her 
window  as  he  walked  by  ;  then,  an  hour  after,  as  he  was  carried 
back,  a  corpse,  to  the  chapel.  She  then  wrote  on  her  tablets 
in  French  :  "  If  his  slain  body  shall  accuse  me  before  men,  his 
blessed  soul  shall  vindicate  me  before  God  ;"  in  Latin,  "  Man's 
justice  destroyed  his  body,  God's  mercy  preserve  his  soul ;"  in 
English,  "  If  my  fault  deserved  punishment,  my  youth  and  in- 
experience were  worthy  of  excuse  ;  God  and  posterity  will  show 
me  favour."  The  using  different  languages  probably  was  a 
relief,  in  the  awful  tension  of  spirit,  in  her  condition.  She 
gave  these  tablets  to  the  Lieutenant  of  the  Tower,  Sir  John 
Brydes,  who  came  presently  to  lead  her  to  the  scaffold,  which, 
on  account  of  her  royal  descent,  was  erected  within  the  Tower. 
She  rose  readily,  and  walked  forth.  She  made  a  short  speech, 
declaring  that  she  had  done  wrong  in  consenting  to  Northum- 
berland's scheme,  but  adding  that  it  was  none  of  her  seeking, 
and  desiring  the  prayers  of  those  who  stood  around.  Then 
she  and  Dr.  Feckenham  (Queen  Mary's  Chaplain)  together 
repeated  what  they  could  join  in,  in  their  full  hearts,  the 
Miserere,  and  then  the  fair,  thoughtful  young  head  was  laid  on 
the  block  and  severed  at  one  stroke.'! 

*  Life  of  John  Keble,  by  S.  J.  Coleridge,  p.  559. 

+   Canicos  from  English  History  {4th  Series),  p.  200. 


PSALM  LI.  229 

We  now  have  to  record  how  this  Psalm  comforted  two  of  the 
martyrs  in  Queen  Mary's  reign. 

John  Rogers  was  the  first  who,  on  the  score  of  rehgion,  was 
burnt  at  Smithfield.  He  had  formerly,  when  chaplain  to  the 
factory  at  Antwerp,  assisted  Tyndall  and  Coverdale  in  trans- 
lating the  Bible  into  English,  and  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI. 
he  returned  to  England  and  was  made  a  Prebendary  of  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral.  He  was  degraded  by  Bishop  Bonner  of  London, 
who  stripped  off,  one  by  one,  the  priestly  vestments.  This 
fact  is  one  well  worth  noticing,  as  it  was  an  acknowledgment  of 
the  validity  of  Rogers'  orders.  All  the  priests  ordained  in 
King  Edward  VI.'s  reign  were  treated  as  true  priests,  and  it 
was  not  until  two  hundred  years  later  that  the  Church  of  Rome 
disputed  the  validity  of  English  orders. 

On  his  way  to  execution,  singing  the  Miserere,  he  was  met 
by  his  wife  and  their  eleven  children,  and  with  her  he  ex- 
changed a  few  last  words.  At  the  stake,  to  which  he  was  fas- 
tened with  a  chain,  he  was,  for  the  last  time,  offered  a  free 
pardon  if  he  would  recant.  This  he  refused  to  do,  and  he  was 
burnt,  bathing  his  hands  in  the  flame  '  as  if  it  had  been  in  cold 
water.'"^ 

Rowland  Taylor,  the  good  Vicar  of  Hadleigh,  was  the  other 
martyr  who  found  consolation  in  this  Psalm  at  his  last  end.  He 
was  formerly  chaplain  to  Archbishop  Cranmer,  but  on  his  pre- 
sentation to  the  rectory  of  Hadleigh,  in  Suffolk,  he  devoted 
himself  to  his  duties  as  a  parish  priest,  and  won  the  warmest 
love  of  his  people  by  his  saintly  character.  He  was  condemned 
and  degraded  by  Gardiner,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  and  sent 
down  to  Hadleigh  to  die.  The  account  of  his  last  days  is 
most  touching,  and,  as  a  modern  historian  says,  '  the  terror  of 
death  was  powerless  against  men  like  these.'  As  he  was  being 
led  through  the  streets  of  London,  his  wife,  '  suspecting  that 
her  husband  should  that  night  be  carried  away,'  had  waited 

*   Cameos  from  English  History  (4th  Series),  p.  236. 


230  PSALM-MOSAICS 

through  the  darkness  with  her  children  in  the  porch  of  St, 
Botolph's,  beside  Aldgate.  'Now,  when  the  sheriff  and  his 
company  came  against  St.  Botolph's  Church,  Elizabeth  cried, 
saying,  "  O  my  dear  father  !  Mother !  mother !  here  is  my 
father  led  away  !"  Then  cried  his  wife,  "  Rowland,  Rowland, 
where  art  thou  ?" — for  it  was  a  very  dark  morning,  that  the  one 
could  not  see  the  other.  Dr.  Taylor  answered,  "  I  am  here, 
dear  wife,"  and  stayed.  The  sheriff's  men  would  have  led  him 
forth,  but  the  sheriff  said,  "  Stay  a  little,  masters,  I  pray  you, 
and  let  him  speak  to  his  wife."  Then  came  she  to  him,  and 
he  took  his  daughter  Mary  in  his  arms,  and  he  and  his  wife 
and  Elizabeth  knelt  down  and  said  the  Lord's  Prayer.  At 
which  sight  the  sheriff  wept  apace,  and  so  did  divers  others 
of  the  company.  After  they  had  prayed,  he  rose  up  and  kissed 
his  wife,  and  shook  her  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "Farewell,  my 
dear  wife,  be  of  good  comfort,  for  I  am  quiet  in  my  conscience. 
God  shall  still  be  a  father  to  my  children  !"  .  .  .  Then  said 
his  wife,  "  God  be  with  thee,  dear  Rowland.  I  will,  with 
God's  grace,  meet  thee  at  Hadleigh."  .  .  .  All  the  way  Dr. 
Taylor  was  merry  and  cheerful,  as  one  that  accounted  himself 
going  to  a  most  pleasant  banquet  or  bridal.  .  .  .  Coming 
within  two  miles  of  Hadleigh,  he  desired  to  light  off  his  horse, 
which  done,  he  leaped  and  set  a  frisk  or  twain,  as  men  com- 
monly do  for  dancing.  "Why,  Master  Doctor,"  quoth  the 
sheriff,  "how  do  you  now?"  He  answered,  "Well,  God  be 
praised,  Master  Sheriff,  never  better  ;  for  now  I  know  I  am 
almost  at  home.  I  lack  not  past  two  stiles  to  go  over,  and  I 
am  even  at  my  Father's  house  !"  .  .  .  The  streets  of  Hadleigh 
were  beset  on  both  sides  with  men  and  women  of  the  town 
and  country  who  waited  to  see  him  ;  whom,  when  they  beheld 
so  led  to  death,  with  weeping  eyes  and  lamentable  voices,  they 
cried :  "  Ah,  good  Lord  !  There  goeth  our  good  shepherd 
from  us  !" ' 

The  journey  was  at  last  over.  ' "  What  place  is  this,"  he 
asked,  "and  what  meaneth  it  that  so  much  people  are  gathered 
together?"     It  was  answered:  "It  is  Oldham  Common,  the 


PSALM  LI.  231 

place  where  you  must  suffer,  and  the  people  are  come  to  look 
upon  you."  Then  said  he,  "Thanked  be  God,  I  am  even  at 
home  !"  .  .  .  But  when  the  people  saw  his  reverend  and  ancient 
face,  with  a  long  white  beard,  they  burst  out  with  weeping 
tears  and  cried,  saying:  "God  save  thee,  good  Dr.  Taylor; 
God  strengthen  thee  and  help  thee ;  the  Holy  Ghost  comfort 
thee  !"     He  wished,  but  was  not  suffered,  to  speak. 

'When  he  had  prayed,  he  went  to  the  stake  and  kissed  it,  and 
set  himself  into  a  pitch-barrel  which  they  had  set  for  him  to 
stand  on,  and  so  stood,  with  his  back  upright  against  the  stake, 
with  his  hands  folded  together  and  his  eyes  towards  heaven, 
and  so  let  himself  be  burned.'  One  of  the  executioners  'cruelly 
cast  a  fagot  at  him,  which  hit  upon  his  head  and  brake  his 
face,  that  the  blood  ran  down  his  visage.  Then  said  Dr. 
Taylor,  "O  friend,  I  have  harm  enough,  what  needed  that?"' 
He  now  began  the  fifty-first  Psalm  in  English,  and  one  of  the 
guard  struck  him  on  the  lips,  bidding  him  speak  Latin.  After 
fire  had  been  kindled,  one  man  cleft  his  skull  with  a  halberd, 
so  that  he  fell  dead,  having  hardly  felt  the  flames.  This 
martyr  was  the  grandfather  of  Jeremy  Taylor,  Bishop  of  Down 
and  Connor— the  learned  author  of  '  Holy  Living  and  Holy 
Dying. '"^ 

Count  Egmont,  the  celebrated  and  patriotic  Flemish  noble, 
repeated  this  Psalm  on  his  way  to  the  scaffold. 

Egmont  was  asleep  in  bed  when  the  Bishop  of  Ypres  came 
to  him,  and,  unable  to  speak,  gave  him  a  copy  of  the  order  for 
his  execution  on  the  following  day.  Egmont  was  a  brave  man, 
and  read  the  paper  through  without  flinching,  though  in  all  his 
nine  months'  imprisonment  he  had  never  expected  matters  to 
end  thus.  He  asked  if  there  was  no  hope,  and  when  convinced 
that  there  was  none,  he  uttered  some  hot  words  of  indignation 
at  the  cruel  injustice  of  the  sentence,  and  spoke  of  his  wife  and 
children.  The  Bishop  advised  him  to  put  away  all  thoughts, 
save  those  of  God  and  the  unseen  world,  and  he  confessed. 

*  Cameos  from  English  History  (4th  Series),  p.  239. 


232  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Mass  was  celebrated,  and  he  received  his  last  communion,  and 
asked  afterwards  what  prayer  he  should  say  at  the  last.  The 
Bishop  said  none  was  like  the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  Count 
felt  himself  much  comforted  by  these  devotions,  but  a  burst 
of  bitter  grief  swept  over  him  again  as  he  thought  of  his  wife 
and  her  little  children ;  and  when  the  Bishop  tried  to  help  him 
compose  himself,  he  said  :  '  Alas  !  how  frail  is  our  nature,  that 
when  we  should  think  of  God  alone,  we  cannot  shut  out  the 
thought  of  wife  and  children.'  He  wrote  a  dignified  and  loyal 
letter  to  the  King,  asserting  his  perfect  innocence,  and  signing 
himself,  'Ready  to  die,  His  Majesty's  very  humble  and  loyal 
vassal  and  servant.  .  .  .     D'Egmont.  .  .  .' 

The  great  square  at  Brussels,  where  Egmont  had  figured  in 
many  a  grand  procession,  and  excelled  in  many  a  tournament, 
was  to  be  the  place  of  his  death.  A  scaffold  stood  there 
covered  with  black  cloth,  and  on  it  a  table  with  a  silver  crucifix 
and  two  velvet  cushions  near.  It  was  guarded  by  three  thou- 
sand Spanish  soldiers,  who  prevented  any  near  approach,  but 
the  windows  were  thronged,  and  Alva  himself  was  at  one  of 
them.  At  eleven  o'clock  Egmont  came  forth  in  a  red  damask 
dress  and  short  black  cloak,  and  a  black  silk  hat  with  black 
and  white  feathers,  repeating  aloud  the  Miserere,  and  attended 
by  the  Bishop.  He  walked  round  the  scaffold  two  or  three 
times,  and  once  more  asked  if  there  was  no  hope  of  respite, 
and  ground  his  teeth  for  a  moment  at  the  hard,  dry,  cold 
Spanish  negative ;  but,  recovering  himself,  he  took  off  his  cloak 
and  hat,  and  gave  up  the  Collar  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  knelt  on 
the  cushion,  said  the  Lord's  Prayer  aloud,  and  asked  the 
Bishop  to  say  it  three  times  more.  He  stood  once  more, 
kissed  the  crucifix,  drew  a  cap  over  his  eyes,  knelt,  saying, 
*  Lord,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit ';  held  out  his 
arms  for  the  signal,  when  the  executioner  swept  off  his  head 
with  a  single  stroke  of  the  sword.  Even  Alva  burst  into  tears, 
and  so  did  some  of  the  Spaniards,  who  had  known  Egmont  as 
a  brave  leader,  while  the  French  Ambassador  whispered  that 
there  fell  the  head  before  which  his  country  had  often  trembled. 


PSALM  LI.  233 

Egmont's  body  was  visited  all  that  day  and  night,  when  it  was 
placed  in  the  church  of  St  Clara,  by  thousands  of  people,  who 
wept,  kissed  the  corpse,  and  dipped  their  handkerchiefs  in  the 
blood. "^ 

Sir  Thomas  More,  rightly  accounted  a  martyr,  and  a  true 
defender  of  the  Faith  concerning  the  headship  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  had  the  words  of  this  Psalm  on  his  lips  in  the  hour  of 
his  execution. 

The  chief  charge  brought  against  him  was  that  he  had  de- 
prived the  King  of  his  dignity  and  title,  by  denying  him  to  be 
the  Head  of  the  Church.  There  he  stood  in  a  plain  woollen 
gown,  his  face  keen  and  benevolent  as  ever,  though  his  hair 
had  turned  gray  in  his  imprisonment,  a  perfect  lawyer  still,  and 
well  able  to  defend  himself.  Sentence  of  death  was  pronounced. 
More  heard  it  calmly,  and  then  made  open  confession,  that 
seven  years  of  diligent  study  had  only  convinced  him  that  it 
was  impossible  that  a  layman  could  be  Head  of  the  Church. 
He  was  asked  if  he  would  be  wiser  than  all  the  learned  men  in 
Europe,  to  which  he  replied  that  all  the  rest  of  Christendom 
was  of  his  opinion.  ...  As  he  was  being  led  out  with  the 
axe,  with  the  edge  turned  towards  him,  his  son  knelt  down  to 
ask  his  blessing,  as  he  had  so  often  done  from  his  own  aged 
father;  and  when  the  barge  reached  the  Tower  wharf,  down 
through  all  the  guards  with  bills  and  halberts  rushed  his 
daughter  Margaret,  flinging  her  arms  round  his  neck  and  kiss- 
ing him,  with  sobs  of  '  Oh  !  my  father,  my  father  !'  He  blessed 
and  comforted  her,  but  twice  after  he  had  moved  on  she  came 
back  and  hung  about  him,  so  that  the  guards  themselves  were 
in  tears.  ...  On  the  6th  of  July  he  was  to  die,  early  in  the 
morning,  within  the  Tower.  He  was  his  true  self  to  the  last, 
with  the  old  playful  humour  and  deep  devotion.  The  scaffold 
was  not  firm,  and  he  asked  for  help  in  mounting  it  :  '  Master 
Lieutenant,  give  me  thine  hand,  I  pray  thee,  see  me  safe  up  ; 
for  my  coming  down  let  me  shift  for  myself.'     Then  he  knelt 

*  Cameos  from  English  History,  clx. 


234  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

and  prayed  \}[\&  fifty -first  Psalm  most  devoutly,  and,  as  the  execu- 
tioner asked  his  pardon,  he  gave  it  him,  telling  him  it  was  the 
greatest  of  services  he  was  about  to  do  him.  Yet  even  then 
his  last  word  was  to  ask  leave  to  take  his  beard  out  of  the  way, 
'since  it  was  no  traitor  ;  it  had  never  offended  His  Highness.' 
.  .  .  Charles  the  Fifth  was  greatly  shocked.  He  sent  for  the 
English  Ambassador,  and  asked  if  it  were  true  that  King  Henry 
had  put  Sir  Thomas  More  to  death,  adding :  '  And  this  we  will 
say,  that  if  he  had  been  ours,  we  would  rather  have  lost  the 
best  city  in  our  dominions  than  such  a  Councillor.'"^ 

Pierre  du  Terrail  Bayard,  the  Chevalier  sa?is  peur  et  sans 
reproche^  uttered  the  words  of  this  Psalm  in  his  death-hour. 

He  was  serving  under  Admiral  Bonnivet  in  Italy  against 
the  Imperialists  under  the  Constable  de  Bourbon.  As  the  siege 
of  Milan  made  no  progress,  the  Admiral  resolved  to  retreat 
upon  Piedmont,  and,  as  he  was  wounded,  he  gave  up  the  com- 
mand to  Bayard,  who  was  in  the  rear-guard,  fighting  most 
bravely  until,  on  the  30th  of  April,  1524,  near  Romagnano,  a 
stone  from  an  arquebus  struck  him  on  the  right  side,  fractur- 
ing the  spine.  His  cry  was,  '  Jesus,  my  God,  I  am  slain  !'  and, 
lowering  his  sword,  he  held  up  the  cross-hilt  before  him.  As  he 
turned  pale  and  reeled  in  the  saddle,  his  friends  came  round 
and  wanted  to  carry  him  out  of  the  fight ;  but  he  said,  '  It  is 
all  over  with  me,  and  I  will  not  turn  my  back  on  the  enemy  at 
my  death.'  He  was  then  lifted  from  his  horse  and  placed 
under  a  tree,  begging  that  his  face  might  still  be  towards  the 
enemy. 

His  squire  wept  bitterly,  but  he  comforted  him,  saying, 
'  Jacques,  my  friend,  cease  to  sorrow ;  it  is  God's  will  to  take 
me  from  the  world,  where  by  His  grace  I  have  lived  long 
enough,  and  I  have  received  more  honours  and  favours  than 
belong  to  me.  All  my  grief  is  for  not  having  done  my  duty 
as  well  as  I  ought.'  As  there  was  no  priest  near,  he  made  his 
last  confession  to  his  squire,  and  he  then  besought  his  friends 

*   Cameos  j7om  English  History  (4th  Series),  p.  69. 


PSALM  LI.  235 

to  leave  him,  as  the  rapid  motion  was  great  pain  to  him,  and 
he  did  not  wish  them  to  be  taken  prisoners.  Much  against 
their  will,  and  with  many  tears,  they  did  this,  and  the  last  they 
saw  of  him  was  with  his  cross-hilted  sword  before  him,  recit- 
ing the  Miserere.  The  brave  knight  lived  three  hours  after 
this,  and  died  in  peace  in  his  48th  year,  treated  well  by  his 
enemies."^ 

Mof/ier  Terhe  de  S.  Augiistm  (Madame  Louise  de  France), 
Prioress  of  the  Carmelite  Convent  of  St.  Denis,  found  comfort 
in  this  Psalm.  Her  bones  were  amongst  those  cast  into  the 
great  pit  by  the  Revolutionists  in  the  first  French  Revolution 
when  they  desecrated  the  royal  graves  at  St.  Denis.  Her  bio- 
grapher thus  recounts  her  last  hours  : 

'  Soeur  Raphael,  returning  very  shortly,  told  the  Mother  that 
she  might  receive  the  Viaticum  at  once.     At  this  announce- 
ment the  dying  Princess  could  not  contain  her  joy ;  she  thanked 
the    sister  warmly  for  keeping  her  promise,  adding  with  her 
wonted  humility,   "I  will  show  my  gratitude  when  I  come  to 
His  presence  if  He  deigns  to  have  mercy  upon  me."     Sceur 
Raphael  could  not  help  exclaiming  :  ''  Oh,  Mother,  how  happy 
you  are  to  be  so  near  heaven,  while  we  have  to  linger  here  on 
earth  !"     "  All  my  hope  is  in  God,"  the  Mother  answered.     "  I 
will  not  forget  you.     But  don't  lose  time,  let  everything  be  made 
ready  that  I  may  have  the  blessing  of  receiving  my  Lord." 
Her  confessor  arrived  speedily,  but  he  still  proposed  to  give 
her  the  Viaticum  first,  delaying  Extreme  Unction,  as  he  did  not 
think  she  was  really  so  near  death.     When  she  was  told  that 
he  had  gone  to  the  Church  to  fetch  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
her  love  and  joy  waxed  even  stronger,  and  she  began  to  say 
the  Miserere,  asking  her  nurses  to   say  it  with  her,  as  well 
as  the   Magnificat ;  she  also  repeated  several  times,    "  In  te 
Domine   speravi,   non    confundar   in    aeternum."      When   the 
priest  entered,  bearing  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  she  cried  out : 

*  Cameos  from  English  History  (4th  Series),  p.  5. 


236  PSALM-MOSAICS 

"  My  Heavenly  Kingdom  has  come.  Oh,  my  God,  it  is  very 
blessed  to  oifer  my  life  to  Thee,"  and  then  she  received  the 
longed-for  Viaticum  with  intense  devotion  and  fervour.'* 

Mrs.  Ha7i7iah  More  in  her  last  illness  (she  died  in  1833)  found 
much  comfort  in  the  fifty-first  Psalm.  '  Upon  one  occasion,' 
says  the  faithful  friend  who  was  always  about  her  dying  bed, 
'  in  the  early  part  of  her  illness  I  read  to  her  the  Office  for  the 
Visitation  of  the  Sick,  and  the  Burial  Service  in  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer.  She  was  still  and  engaged,  while  I  was 
reading,  with  her  hands  clasped  in  devotion.  Some  of  the 
verses  in  the  Psalms,  after  I  had  begun  them,  she  would  finish, 
exclaiming  with  rapture,  "  How  delightful,  how  sweet — delight- 
ing the  taste  and  touching  the  heart !"  The  fifty-first  Psalm 
was  continually  on  her  lips  :  "  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart, 
O  God,  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me." ' 

Fra  Girolamo  Savonarola^  the  great  Florentine  preacher  and 
reformer,  during  the  interval  that  elapsed  between  the  exami- 
nations of  himself  and  his  two  companions,  employed  his  time 
in  writing  short  commentaries  on  the  thirty-first  and  fifty- 
first  Psalms,  throwing  all  his  old  energy  into  their  composition. 
It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  profligate  Pope  Alexander  VI. 
speaks  of  these  three  holy  men  as  '  those  three  sons  of 
perdition.' 

Bishop  Blomfield  used  this  Psalm  as  his  nightly  prayer  for 
many  years  previous  to  his  death. 

Joseph  Baydfi,  the  musician,  was  once  asked  why  his 
sacred  music  was  so  joyful,  and  he  answered  that  it  was 
'  because  God  was  so  good,  that  he  would  set  the  fifty-first 
Psalm  in  allegro  !'t 

Schuch,  the  martyr  of  St.  Hippolytus,  near  Vosges,  repeated 
this  Psalm  at  the  stake,  until  the  smoke  stifled  his  voice. 

*  Madame  Louise  de  France. 

f   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  io  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  126. 


PSALM  LI.  237 

Verse  i.  Miserere  mei\  Deus. — Nearly  every  verse  in  this 
Psalm  has  its  special  history.  Heniy  Vaughan,  the  poet,  who 
departed  this  life  in  1695,  desired  the  following  inscription 
should  be  placed  on  his  tomb  :  Servus  ifiutilis,  Peccator  7tiaxi- 
muSj  Hie  jaceo  Gloria!     Miserere! 

Dr.  Carey,  the  pioneer  Indian  Missionary,  suffering  from  a 
dangerous  illness,  was  asked  :  '  If  this  sickness  should  prove 
fatal,  what  passage  would  you  select  as  the  text  of  your  funeral 
sermon?'  He  replied,  'Oh,  I  feel  that  such  a  poor  sinful 
creature  as  I,  is  unworthy  to  have  anything  said  about  him  ; 
but  if  a  funeral  sermon  should  be  preached,  let  it  be  from  the 
fifty-first  Psalm  and  first  verse.' 

Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru,  with  Callao,  its  port-town,  was 
completely  desolated  by  an  earthquake,  October  28th,  1764. 
The  city  contained  about  three  thousand  inhabitants,  of  whom 
only  one  escaped.  This  solitary  survivor,  standing  on  a  fort 
which  overlooked  the  harbour,  saw  the  sea  retiring,  then,  in  a 
mountainous  surge,  returning  with  awful  violence,  and  the 
inhabitants  at  the  same  instant  retreating  from  their  houses 
in  the  utmost  terror  and  confusion.  He  heard  a  cry  ascend- 
ing from  all  parts  of  the  city — Miserere ;  and  instantly  there 
was  universal  silence.  The  sea  had  overwhelmed  the  city. 
The  same  inundating  wave  drove  a  little  boat  near  to  the 
spectator,  and  by  throwing  himself  into  it  he  was  saved. 

Tfie  Lesser  Litany  at  Morning  Prayer.  '  Lord,  have  mercy 
upon  us.  Christ,  have  mercy  upon  us.  Lord,  have  mercy 
upon  us,'  is  a  Christian  version  of  the  Synagogue  Prayer  taken 
from  the  first  verse  of  this  Psalm.  It  dates  from  the  earliest 
period.  The  Greek  form  'Kyrie  Christe — Kyrie  Eleison,' 
each  thrice,  was  retained  in  the  Breviaries. "**" 

Verse  3.  My  sin  is  ever  before  me. — Robert  Soutfiwell,  in  the 
reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  ten  times  racked,  and  at  last  hanged, 

*  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  65. 


238  PSALM-MOSJICS 

drawn,  and  quartered,  for  the  great  crime  of  being  a  Priest  in 
the  Church  of  Rome,  in  his  poem  6"/.  Peter  s  Complaint,  illus- 
trates this  verse  : 

'  ]\Iy  guilty  eye  still  seems  to  see  my  sin, 
All  things  are  characters  to  spell  my  fall ; 

What  eye  doth  see  without,  heart  sees  within, 
What  heart  doth  see,  to  pensive  thought  is  gall, 

Which  when  the  thought  would  by  the  tongue  digest, 
The  ear  conveys  it  back  into  the  breast.' 

Verse  6.  Behold  I  Thou  desirest  truth  iii  the  ifiward  parts. 
— With  regard  to  the  Christian  character  in  relation  to  self,  as 
deUneated  in  the  Psalter,  the  deepest  prayer  for  purity  which 
the  Minister  of  God  is  taught  by  the  Church  to  utter  is, 
'  Almighty  God,  unto  whom  all  hearts  be  open '  {cui  omne 
cor  loquitur), '  cleanse  the  thoughts  of  our  hearts  by  the  inspir- 
ation of  Thy  Holy  Spirit.'  Is  even  that  more  unequivocally  a 
prayer  referring  to  one  of  the  most  distinct  claims  of  our  Lord 
over  our  souls,  than  such  verses  as  these  in  the  Psalms : 

'  Behold  !  Thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts.  .  .  . 
Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God  !  .  .  .  Search  me,  O  God, 
and  try  my  heart :  know  me,  and  try  my  thoughts  '  P"*^ 

Verse  7.  Thou  shall  purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  1  shall  be 
clean  ;  Thou  shall  wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow. — 
Shakespeare  does  not  so  much  quote  as  imitate,  adapt,  or 
allude  to,  and  sometimes  he  imitates  the  general  sense  of 
several  passages,  instead  of  modelling  his  phrases  on  one  alone. 
An  example  of  this  is  met  with  in  Hamlet,  Act  III.,  Sc.  iv. : 

'  What  if  this  cursed  hand 
Were  thicker  than  itself  with  brother's  blood  ? 
Is  there  not  rain  enough  in  the  sweet  heavens 
To  wash  it  zvhite  as  snow  ?     Whereto  serves  mercy.' 

From  the  use  of  the  word  '  wash,'  it  can  hardly  be  doubted 
but  that  one  passage  in  remembrance  was  verse  7  of  Psalm  li.  : 

*   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity. 


PSALM  LI.  239 

*  Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean  ; 
Wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow.'* 

Verse  7.  T/ioi^  shall  wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than 
snow. — Probably  the  northernmost  grave  on  the  surface  of  the 
earth  is  one  made  for  a  member  of  the  expedition  of  Sir  George 
Nares  to  the  Arctic  Sea  in  the  ship  Alert.  It  is  near  Cape 
Beechy,  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  covered  with  snow,  and  com- 
manding a  view  of  crowded  masses  of  ice,  which  stretch  away 
into  the  mysterious  Northern  Ocean,  where,  hung  like  a  lamp 
over  the  door  of  the  unknown,  shines  the  polar  star.  A  large 
stone  covers  the  dead,  and  on  a  copper  tablet  at  the  head  the 
words  are  engraved :  '  Wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than 
snow.'t 

Verse  10.  Make  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God :  and  j-enew  a 
right  spirit  within  me. — Louis  de  Bourbon,  the  Grand  Conde 
was  a  lifelong  friend  of  Bossuet,  and  it  was  he  who  pronounced 
his  funeral  oration.  Bossuet  says :  '  The  last  moments  are  worthy 
of  record,  not  because  they  were  remarkable,  but  precisely  be- 
cause they  were  7iot  so,  and  because  there  was  nothing  done  or 

said  for  effect  by  a  Prince  so  well  known  to  the  world.' 

'Three  times  successively  he  asked  for  the  last  prayer  for  the 
dying,  and  thanking  his  physicians,  he  turned  to  the  priests 
standing  by,  and  said:  "These  are  now  my  best  doctors." 
His  confessor  said  something  of  the  need  to  ask  God  to  mould 
his  people's  hearts,  suggesting  the  prayer:  ''Make  me  a  clean 
heart,  O  God.''  Conde  remained  awhile  pondering  deeply, 
and  then,  turning  to  the  priest,  he  said :  "  I  never  had  any 
religious  doubts,  whatever  people  may  have  said;  but  now,"  he 
went  on,  "I  believe  more  than  ever.  All  the  great  mysteries 
of  the  faith  grow  clearer  and  clearer  to  my  mind.  Yes,  indeed, 
we  shall  see  God  as  He  is,  face  to  face  ";  and  he  repeated  again 
and  again,  fondly  dwelling  on  them,  the  Latin  words,  "Sicuti 
est,  facie  ad  faciem."'| 

*  Notes  and  Queries,  April  11,  1868. 

t   The  Fsalms  in  History  and  Biography ^  p.  Zd. 

X  Life  of  Bossuet,  p.  322. 


240 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


When  Sir  JValfer  Raleigh  had  laid  his  head  upon  the  block, 
he  was  asked  by  the  executioner  whether  it  lay  right.  Where- 
upon, with  the  calmness  of  a  hero  and  the  faith  of  a  true 
Christian,  he  replied  :  '  It  matters  little,  my  friend,  how  the 
head  lies,  provided  the  heart  is  right.' 

Verses  10  and  11.  Make  me  a  clean  hearty  O  God:  and 
renew  a  right  spirit  within  me.  Cast  me  not  away  from  Thy 
presence:  afid  take  ?wt  Thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me. — In  the 
Eastern  Church,  during  the  Prayer  of  Consecration,  these 
words  are  recited  by  the  Priests  and  Deacons. 

Verse  12.  O  give  me  the  comfort  of  Thy  help  again:  and 
stahlish  me  with  Thy  free  Spirit. — The  following  is  the  last 
entry  in  the  diary  of  Dr.  Arnold :  '  Saturday  evening.  June 
nth. — The  day  after  to-morrow  is  my  birthday,  if  I  am  per- 
mitted to  live  to  see  it — my  forty-seventh  birthday  since  my 
birth.  How  large  a  portion  of  my  life  on  earth  is  already 
passed  !  iVnd,  then,  what  is  to  follow  this  life  ?  How  visibly 
my  outward  work  seems  contracted  and  softened  away  into  the 
gentler  employment  of  old  age  !  In  one  sense,  how  nearly  can 
I  now  say  "  Vixi,"  and  I  thank  God  that,  as  far  as  ambition  is 
concerned,  it  is,  I  trust,  fully  mortified  ;  I  have  no  desire  other 
than  to  step  back  from  my  present  place  in  the  world,  and  not 
to  rise  to  a  higher.  Still,  there  are  works  that,  with  God's 
permission,  I  would  do  before  the  night  cometh ;  especially 
the  great  work,  if  I  might  be  permitted  to  take  part  in  it. 
But,  after  all,  let  me  mind  my  own  personal  work ;  to  keep 
myself  pure  and  zealous  to  the  last ;  labour  to  do  God's  will, 
yet  not  anxious  that  it  should  be  done  by  me  rather  than  by 
others,  if  God  disapprove  of  my  doing  it.' 

It  was  between  five  and  six  on  Sunday  morning  that  he 
awoke  with  a  sharp  pain  upon  the  chest,  which  he  mentioned 
to  his  wife  on  her  asking  whether  he  felt  well,  adding  that 
he  had  felt  it  slightly  on  the  preceding  day  before  and  after 
bathing.     He  then  again  composed  himself  to  sleep ;  but  her 


PSALM  LL  241 

watchful  care,  always  anxious  even  to  nervousness  at  the  least 
indication  of  illness,  was  at  once  awakened,  for  finding  from 
him  that  the  pain  increased,  and  that  it  seemed  to  pass  from 
his  chest  to  his  left  arm,  her  alarm  was  so  much  roused  from 
a  remembrance  of  having  heard   of  this  in  connection  with 
Angina  Pectoris  and  its  fatal  consequences,  that,  in  spite  of  his 
remonstrances,  she  rose  and  called  up  an  old  servant  whom 
they  usually  consulted  in  cases  of  illness,  from  her  having  so 
long  attended  the  sick-bed  of  his  sister  Susannah.     Reassured 
by  her  confidence  that  there  was  no  ground  for  fear,  but  still 
anxious,   Mrs.   Arnold  returned  to  his   room.     She  observed 
him,  as  she  was  dressing  herself,  lying  still,  but  with  his  hands 
clasped,  his  lips  moving,  and  his  eyes  raised  as  if  engaged  in 
prayer ;  when  all  at  once  he  repeated  firmly  and  earnestly, 
'  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen 
thou  hast  believed ;  blessed  are  they  who  have  not  seen  and 
yet  have  believed,'  and  soon  afterwards,  with  a  solemnity  of 
manner  and  depth  of  utterance  which  spoke  more  than  the 
words  themselves,  '  But  if  ye  be  without  chastisement  whereof 
all  are  partakers,  then  are  ye  bastards  and  not  sons.'     From 
time  to  time  he  seemed  to  be  in  severe  suffering.     The  more 
than   usual  earnestness  which  marked  his  tone  and  manner, 
especially  in  repeating  the  verses  from  Scripture,  had  again 
roused  her  worst  fears;    and  she  advised  messengers  to  be 
sent  for  medical  assistance,  which  he  at  first  requested  her  not 
to  do,  from  not  liking  to  disturb,  at  that  early  hour,  the  usual 
medical  attendant,  who  had  been  suffering  from  indisposition. 
She  then  took  up  the  Prayer-Book,  and  was  looking  for  a  psalm 
to  read  to  him,  when  he  said  quickly,  '  The  fifty-first^  which 
she  accordingly  read  by  his  bedside,  reminding  him  at  the  7th 
verse,  that  it  was  the  favourite  verse  of  one  of  the  old  alms- 
women  whom  he  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting;  and  at  the  12th 
verse,  '  O  give  me  the  comfort  of  Thy  help  again,  and  stablish  me 
with  Thy  free  spirit,'  he  repeated  it  after  her  very  earnestly. 
She  then  read  the  prayer  in  the  'Visitation  of  the  Sick/  begin- 
ning '  The  Almighty  Lord,  who  is  a  most  strong  tower,'  etc. ; 

16 


242  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

knelt  herself  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  altered  it  into  a 
common  prayer  for  them  both.  His  son  had  now  entered  the 
sick-room,  together  with  his  physician,  Dr.  Bucknill.  Mean- 
while, his  wife,  who  still  had  sounding  in  her  ears  the  tone  in 
which  he  had  repeated  the  passage  from  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  again  turned  to  the  Prayer-Book  and  began  to  read 
the  Exhortation,  in  which  it  occurs  in  the  Visitation  of  the 
Sick.  He  listened  with  deep  attention,  saying  emphatically, 
'  Yes,'  at  the  end  of  many  of  the  sentences.  '  There  should  be 
no  greater  comfort  to  Christian  persons,  than  to  be  made  like 
unto  Christ.' — 'Yes.'  'By  suffering  patiently  adversities, 
troubles,  and  sicknesses.' — 'Yes.'  'He  entered  not  into  His 
glory  before  He  was  crucified.' — 'Yes.'  At  the  words  'ever- 
lasting life '  she  stopped,  and  his  son  said,  '  I  wish,  dear  papa, 
we  had  you  at  Fox  How  '  (where  five  of  his  children  were 
staying,  and  where  he  expected  to  spend  the  holidays).  He 
made  no  answer,  but  the  last  conscious  look,  which  remained 
fixed  in  his  wife's  memory,  was  the  look  of  intense  tenderness 
and  love  with  which  he  smiled  upon  them  both  at  that  moment. 
Thus  died,  as  we  would  die,  one  of  the  noblest  and  manliest  of 
Christian  men.* 

Verse  13.  T/ien  shall  I  teach  Thy  7C'ajs  imio  the  wicked :  and 
sinners  shall  be  converted  u?ito  Thee. — One  {St.  Angustiiie)  who 
was  himself  a  notable  example  of  the  grace  of  God  in  convert- 
ing a  sinner  into  a  teacher,  cites  this  verse  against  the  Dona- 
tists,  who,  like  the  Novatians,  censured  the  discipline  of  the 
CliUrch  as  too  easy  in  the  reinstatement  of  the  lapsed,  and  he 
did  but  follow  in  the  steps  of  a  far  earlier  Christian  writer  (the 
author  of  the  Apostolic  Constitutions),  who  quotes  the  imme- 
diately preceding  verses  of  the  Psalm  in  the  same  sense,  f 

Verse  14.  Deliver  me  from  blood-guiltiness^  O  God. — At 
length  came  the  fatal  30th  of  January  (1649),  and  King  Charles, 

*  Life  of  Dr.  A^-nold,  vol.  ii.,  p.  282. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Coinmeiitaiy,  vol.  ii.,  p.  202. 


PSALM  LI.  243 

attended  by  Bishop  Juxon,  walked  to  the  scaffold,  and  said  :  '  I 
have  a  good  cause  and  a  gracious  God  on  my  side  ;  I  go  from 
a  corruptible  to  an  incorruptible  crown,  where  no  disturbance 
can  be — no  disturbance  in  the  world  !' 

There  was  one  of  the  King's  loyal  subjects  who,  we  may  well 
believe,  envied  Bishop  Juxon  his  privilege  of  attendance  on  his 
master  to  the  last ;  and  that  was  Bishop  Wren,  who  had  been 
with  him  in  bright,  early  days,  when,  as  Prince  of  Wales,  he 
had  accompanied  him  on  his  romantic  journey  to  Spain,  who, 
when  the  weight  of  the  crown  first  came  upon  the  Prince's 
head,  had  accompanied  him  on  the  journey  to  Scotland  for  his 
coronation  at  Scone,  and  who  since  then  had  been  so  trusted 
by  him. 

Bishop  Wren,  at  the  time  of  the  King's  murder,  was  in  the 
Tower,  where  he  had  been  since  1641  for  loyalty  to  King 
Charles.  He  was  released  by  General  Monk  in  1660,  after  an 
imprisonment  of  eighteen  years.  When  the  news  of  the  martyr's 
death  first  reached  the  faithful  Bishop,  no  word  of  his  own  grief, 
of  his  unavailing  longing  to  see  his  King  once  more,  and  once 
more  kiss  his  hand,  is  expressed  in  the  brief  record  in  his  diary. 
It  is  simply,  '  A  sanguiiiibiis,  O  Deiis  P  (From  blood-guiltiness, 
O  God  !).^ 

Verse  15.  Thou  shalt  opeti  my  lips,  O  Lord:  and  my  mouth 
shall  show  Thy  praise. — The  Versicles  and  the  Doxology  at 
Morning  Prayer,  which  have  been  used  from  the  sixth  century, 
at  least  as  a  commencement  of  Nocturns  in  the  West,  are  taken 
from  Psalms  li.  15,  and  Ixxi.  This  verse  also  occurs  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Greek  Morning  Office. f 

Verse  17.  A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  shalt  Thou 
not  despise. — On  one  occasion  when  Whitfield  was  preaching  at 
Exeter,  a  man  was  present  who  had  his  pockets  full  of  stones 
in  order  to  fling  them  at  the  preacher.  He  heard  his  prayer, 
however,  with  patience ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  named  his  text, 

*  Sir  Christopher  Wren  and  his  Times,  chap.  iv. 
f  Interleaved  Prayer- Boole,  p.  61. 


244  PSALM-MOSAICS 

than  the  man  pulled  a  stone  out  of  his  pocket  and  held  it  in 
his  hand,  waiting  for  a  fair  opportunity  to  throw.  But  God 
willed  otherwise,  and  sent  a  sword  to  the  man's  heart,  so  that 
the  stone  dropped  from  his  hand.  After  the  sermon  was  over, 
he  went  to  Mr.  Whitfield  and  told  him  :  '  Sir,  I  came  to  hear 
you  this  day  with  a  view  to  break  your  head,  but  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord,  through  your  ministry,  has  given  me  a  broken 
heart^ 

St.  Teresa  quoted  this  verse  in  her  last  moments.  '  The 
holy  viaticum  being  brought  into  her  chamber  on  the  3rd  of 
October  in  the  evening,  she  sprung  up  in  her  bed,  though  ex- 
ceedingly weak,  and,  among  other  fervent  ejaculations,  said  : 
"  O  Lord,  and  my  Spouse,  the  desired  hour  is  now  come  ;  it  is 
now  time  for  me  to  depart  hence.  Thy  will  be  done  !  The 
hour  is  at  last  come,  wherein  I  shall  pass  out  of  this  exile,  and 
my  soul  shall  enjoy  in  Thy  company  what  it  hath  so  earnestly 
longed  for."  At  nine  o'clock  the  same  evening  she  desired  and 
received  extreme  unction.  Father  Antony  asked  her  if  she 
would  not  be  buried  in  her  own  convent  at  Avila,  to  which  she 
answered:  "Have  I  anything  mine  in  this  world?  or  will  they 
not  afford  me  here  a  little  earth  ?"  She  recited  often  certain 
verses  of  the  Miserere  Psalm,  especially  those  words,  "^  contrite 
and  hwnble  hearty  O  God.,  Thou  wilt  not  despise. ^^  This  she 
repeated  till  her  speech  failed  her.  After  this  she  remained 
fourteen  hours  as  it  were  in  a  trance,  holding  a  crucifix  fast  in 
her  hand,  and  calmly  expired  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  on 
the  4th  of  October,  1582.'^ 

Verse  18.  6>  be  favourable  and  gracious  unto  Sion:  build  Thou 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem. — Henry  V.  of  England,  '  the  most 
Christian  champion  of  the  Church,'  just  before  his  death 
revised  his  will,  adding  legacies  to  his  faithful  friends  and 
servants,  and  then  demanded  of  his  physicians  how  long  they 
thought  his  time  would  yet  be.  They  avoided  reply  till  he 
exerted  that  resolute  wall  w-hich  none  had  resisted ;  and  then 
*  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints. 


PSALM  LI.  245 

one  of  them,  kneeling  down  by  his  bed,  said :  '  Sir,  think  of 
your  soul,  for,  without  a  miracle,  in  our  judgment,  you  have 
not  two  hours  to  live.'  His  confessor  was  present,  and  he  de- 
voutly received  the  last  Sacraments,  and  when  they  were  ended, 
desired  that  they  would  recite  the  penitential  Psalms.  All  this 
time  he  lay  still,  until  when,  in  the  fifty-first  Psalm,  they  came 
to  the  verse  ^  Build  Thou  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  ^^  he  interrupted 
them,  to  say  :  '  I  protest  in  the  faith  of  a  dying  king,  that,  had 
it  pleased  the  Lord  God  to  lengthen  my  life,  it  was  my  full 
purpose,  after  restoring  peace  to  France,  to  have  gone  forth 
against  the  Infidels,  and  to  have  delivered  Jerusalem  from  their 
tyranny.'  He  then  bade  them  proceed,  and  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  last  Psalm  passed  away  in  sleep,  on  the  morning 
of  the  31st  of  August,  1422."^ 

Ve7-se  19.  Then  shall  they  offer  young  bullocks  upon  Thine 
altar. — In  the  Eastern  Church,  at  the  veihng  of  the  elements, 
as  the  priest  censes  them,  he  repeats  these  words. 

Thus  there  has  passed  before  us  a  great  and  varied  host,  all 
testifying  to  the  value  and  excellency  of  the  Miserere.  Fathers 
and  Saints  of  the  undivided  Church ;  Kings  and  Queens ; 
Martyrs  and  Confessors;  Warriors  and  Patriots ;  Bishops, 
Priests,  and  Religious ;  the  Catholic  Church,  Roman,  Greek, 
Armenian,  and  Anglican  ;  commentators.  Catholic  and  Protes- 
tant, ancient  and  modern  ;  courtiers,  scholastics,  and  musicians 
have  but  one  voice,  and  that  the  voice  of  praise,  thanksgiving, 
and  testimony  for  this  Psalm. 

PSALM  LII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— The  punishment  that  awaits  the  evil 
tongue. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David;  in  which  he  reproveth 
every  evil  temper,  and  showeth  the  end  thereof. 

"*  Cajiieos  from  English  History,  Ixxix. 


246  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Origin  (Perowne). — Whether  this  Psalm  was  really  composed 
by  David  on  the  occasion  to  which  the  title  refers  it,  may  be  a 
matter  of  doubt.  We  know  too  little  of  Doeg  to  be  able  to  say 
if  the  description  in  verses  1-4  applies  to  him  or  not;  nor,  in 
fact,  does  the  title  intimate  that  he  is  the  subject  of  the  Psalm. 
It  only  points  out  the  occasion  on  which  the  Psalm  was  written, 
and  Saul's  name  is  mentioned  in  it  as  well  as  Doeg's.  .  .  . 
Whilst,  therefore,  the  faith  and  courage  which  breathe  in  this 
Psalm  are  such  as  to  incline  me  to  think  that  it  was  written  by 
David,  and  whilst  there  may  even  be  an  allusion  in  verse  8  to 
the  sanctuary  at  Nob,  I  see  little  reason  on  other  grounds  for 
maintaining  the  accuracy  of  the  inscription. 

T/ie  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  belongs  to  a  series  of  Psalms 
connected  with  the  persecution  of  David  by  Saul  (Psalms  vii., 
xxxiv..  Hi.,  liv.,  Ivi.,  Ivii.,  lix.,  cxlii.),  which  are  called  'Psalmi 
fugitivi '  by  Augustine.^ 

When  Charles  I.  was  a  prisoner  in  the  Scottish  Army,  one 
of  the  fanatics,  after  his  sermon,  ordered  the  52nd  Psalm  to  be 
sung. 

'  Why  dost  thou,  tyrant,  boast  thyself 
Thy  wicked  deeds  to  praise  ?' 

The  King  immediately  asked  for  the  56th  Psalm — 

*  Have  mercy,  Lord,  on  me,  I  pray. 
For  men  would  me  devour,' 

which  was  sung  instead. 

Verse  3.  Cuttest  like  a  sharp  razor. — For  want,  I  suppose,  of 
some  higher  topic,  Lorinus,  who  always  will  say  something, 
here  enters  into  a  dissertation  as  to  the  first  Christian  author 
in  whom  we  find  mention  of  a  razor.  It  is  in  St.  Sidonius 
Apollinaris,  Lib.  i,  Epist.  2.  But,  as  he  also  observes,  Non 
refert. 

*  Wordsworth's  Conifuentary,  p.  81. 


PSALM  LI II.  247 


PSALM  LIIL 


Headino;  (Delitzsch).  —  Elohimic  variation  of  the  Jahve — 
Psalm  xiv. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Song  of  Man's  Disease. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Concerning  Ahitophel,  that  counselled 
Absalom  to  pursue  David  his  father,  and  slay  him  ;  and  his 
wickedness  returned  upon  his  own  head,  and  he  died — Also 
disclosing  to  us  the  revelation  of  a  Saviour,  and  deliverance 
from  the  people  that  are  without  God. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  only  another  version  of 
Psalm  xiv.,  from  which  it  differs  in  two  particulars.  First,  in 
the  use  of  the  Name  of  God,  which  here  is  Elohim,  instead  of 
Jehovah,  a  peculiarity  which  is  characteristic  of  all  the  Psalms 
of  the  2nd  Book.  Next  in  the  remarkable  deviation,  verse  5  (6), 
from  the  language  of  the  parallel  passage,  verses  5  and  6  of 
Psalm  xiv.  There  seems  to  have  been  an  intentional  alteration, 
with  a  view  of  adapting  the  Psalms  to  different  circumstances. 


PSALM  LIV. 

ZT^^^zV^^or  (Delitzsch).— Consolation  in  the  presence  of  blood- 
thirsty adversaries. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— When  the  Ziphims  came  and  said  to 
Saul,  Doth  not  David  hide  himself  with  us  ? 

Contefits  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  sent  Joab 
and  his  army  to  fight  with  Absalom  ;  and  signifying  to  us  the 
victory  and  prayer  of  him  that  is  preserved  of  God. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm,  like  several  of  the  Psalms 
ascribed  to  David  in  the  2nd  Book,  refers,  according  to  the 


248  PSALM-MOSAICS 

title,  to  the  time  of  his  persecution  by  Saul.  The  particular 
occasion  was  this  :  David  had  taken  refuge  with  600  men  in 
the  fastness  of  Keilah  ;  but,  warned  by  Abiathar,  the  son  of 
Ahimelech,  that  the  men  of  Keilah  were  not  to  be  trusted,  he 
escaped  into  the  wilderness  of  Ziph.  Here,  however,  he  was 
very  near  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Ziphites,  who  would  have 
betrayed  him  to  Saul,  when,  happily,  an  irruption  of  the 
PhiHstines  into  the  country  compelled  the  king  to  desist  from 
his  pursuit,  and  to  turn  his  armies  in  another  direction.  See 
I  Sam.  xxiii.  9,  and  the  additional  particulars  furnished  by  the 
later  annahst,  i  Sam.  xxvi.  i,  from  which  sources  the  title  is 
borrowed. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  to  be  used  on  the  day 
of  Christ's  Passion,  Good  Friday,  not  only  by  the  Church  of 
England  use,  but  it  is  also  found  in  the  Sarum  use  and  the 
Latin  use.  In  the  two  latter  it  is  appointed  also  for  Easter 
Even.  It  is  also  appointed  in  the  Greek  office  for  the  Visitation 
of  the  Sick. 

Verse  6.  Aii  offering  of  a  free  heart  ivill  1  give  Thee,  and 
praise  Thy  Name,  O  Lord,  because  it  is  so  comfortable. 

'  O  Thou  only  beautiful, 
Thou  only  wise,  I  thank  Thee  that  at  length, 
Seeing  all  else  was  vain,  I  turned  to  Thee, 
And  laid  my  weary  load  of  sin  and  shame 
Upon  Thy  bleeding  back,  to  bear  away 
Into  the  wilderness  of  that  last  cry, 
"  My  God,  My  God,  Thou  hast  forsaken  Me  !" 
I  cannot  thank  Thee,  I  can  only  say, 
"  Take,  dearest  Lord,  this  crushed  and  bleeding  heart, 
And  lay  it  in  Thine  Hand,  Thy  pierced  Hand, 
That  Thine  atoning  Blood  may  mix  with  mine. 
Till  I  and  my  Beloved  are  all  one."  '* 


PSALM  LV. 

Beading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  of  one  who  is  maliciously  beset 
and  betrayed  by  his  friend. 

*  Digby  Mackworth  Dolben. 


PSALM  LV.  249 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  mourned  for 
Absalom  his  son,  who  had  been  slain  ;  also  a  prophecy  con- 
cerning them  that  sinned  presumptuously  against  the  Messiah. 

Origin  (Perowne). — As  this  Psalm  is,  in  the  title,  ascribed  to 
David,  and  as  it  contains  a  bitter  complaint  of  the  faithlessness 
of  a  trusted  friend,  it  has  been  commonly  supposed  to  refer  to 
the  desertion  and  treachery  of  Ahitophel,  in  Absalom's  rebel- 
lion. .  .  .  The  Psalm,  however,  seems  to  have  been  composed 
under  other  circumstances,  and  to  be  directed  at  some  person 
of  whom  we  know  nothing,  beyond  what  the  Psalm  itself 
tells  us. 

The  Whole  Fsalm.—On  the  9th  of  February,  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots  went  to  the  wedding  of  her  favourite  servants,  Sebastian 
Pages,  commonly  called  Bastien,  and  Margaret  Cawood,  both 
of  whom  had  been  with  her  in  her  flight  from  Holyrood.  She 
went  to  the  wedding  dinner,  supped  at  Lady  Argyle's,  and  then 
went  back  to  the  dance — a  masked  ball— sending  French  Paris 
to  fetch  a  favourite  fur  coverlet  which  she  had  left  at  Kirk  of 
Field.  Bothwell  was  one  of  the  guests,  but  presently  went 
away,  and,  meeting  his  Border  followers,  they  obtained  from 
French  Paris  the  keys  of  the  Queen's  chamber,  and  silendy 
carried  into  it  a  quantity  of  powder  stored  in  bags,  moving  the 
Queen's  bed,  and  piling  them  just  under  where  that  of  the 
King  stood  in  the  room  overhead.  But  there  must  have  been 
a  mine  besides,  as  the  very  foundation  stones  were  thrown  up. 
Mary  was  to  sleep  in  Holyrood  that  night,  but  between  the 
supper  and  the  ball  she  went  home  to  bid  good-night  to  the 
victim.  He  had  spent  the  last  day  of  his  life  in  hearing  Mass, 
and  then  had  talked  with  various  gentlemen.  When  the  Queen 
had  parted  with  him,  he  bade  his  page  Taylor  read  to  him  the 
55th  Psalm,  his  favourite,  and  then  went  to  bed.  .  .  .  Two 
men  and  two  boys  were  taken  out,  crushed  to  death  among  the 
ruins,  but  Henry  Stewart's  own  body  was  found  at  five  o'clock 
on  that  winter's  morning,  under  an  apple-tree  about  eighty  yards 


250  PSALM-MOSAICS 

off.     That  of  his  page  Taylor  was  near  him,  but   neither   of 
them  was  burned  or  scorched.^^" 

Darnley,  before  or  after  the  Queen's  visit,  was  said  to  have 
opened  the  Prayer-Book,  and  read  over  the  55th  Psahn,  which, 
by  a  strange  coincidence,  was  in  the  EngHsh  Service  for  the 
day  that  was  dawning  (Feb.  loth,  1567).  Such  was  the  tale; 
the  words  have  a  singular  appropriateness :  '  Fearfulness  and 
trembling  are  come  upon  me  :  and  a  horrible  dread  hath  over- 
whelmed me.  It  is  not  an  open  enemy  that  hath  done  me  this 
dishonour  .  .  .  but  it  was  even  thou,  my  companion,  my  guide, 
and  mine  own  familiar  friend  (verses  12,  5,  i4).t 

Verses  2  a?id  3.  O  cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  He 
shall  nourish  thee. — George  Herbert,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother 
in  her  sickness,  dated  'Trin.  Coll.,  May  25th,  1622,'  gives  her 
this  advice  :  Lastly,  for  those  afflictions  of  the  soul ;  consider 
that  God  intends  that  to  be  as  a  Sacred  Temple  for  Himself 
to  dwell  in,  and  will  not  allow  any  room  there  for  such  an 
inmate  as  grief ;  or  allow  that  any  sadness  shall  be  His  com- 
petitor. And,  above  all,  if  any  care  of  future  things  molest 
you,  remember  those  admirable  words  of  the  Psalmist :  '  Cast 
thy  care  on  the  Lord,  and  ILe  shall  noiirish  thee  P  To  which 
join  that  of  St.  Peter,  '  Casting  all  your  care  on  the  Lord,  for 
He  careth  for  you.'  What  an  admirable  thing  is  this,  that 
God  puts  His  shoulder  to  our  burden,  and  entertains  our  care 
for  us,  that  we  may  the  more  quietly  intend  His  service  !t 

Verse  6.  O  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove,  for  then  would  I fiee 
away,  and  be  at  rest. 

'O  that  gifted  and  uplifted, 

With  twain  pinions  of  a  dove, 
To  the  glorious  Cross  victorious 
Might  my  soul  fly  swift  above  ; 


*   Cameos  f}'om  English  History,  No.  civ. 

t  Froude's  History  of  England,  viii.  369,  370. 

X  Izaak  Walton  s  Lives,  p.  284. 


PSALM  LV.  251 

Where,  'mid  bruising  and  abusing, 

Jesus,  darling  of  the  earth, 
Though  unbounded,  hangs  confounded, 

Made  a  mark  for  scorn  and  mirth.'* 

'  Oh  !  had  I,  my  Saviour,  the  wings  of  a  dove, 
How  soon  would  I  soar  to  Thy  presence  above  ! 
How  soon  would  I  flee  where  the  weary  have  rest, 
And  hide  all  my  cares  in  Thy  sheltering  breast. 't 

Verse  7.  Zo,  f/ie?i  would  I  get  me  away  far  off,  and  remain  in 
tJie  wilderness.  —  Francisco  Borja,  the  great  friend  of  the 
Emperor  Charles  V.,  preaching  at  the  celebration  of  his 
obsequies  at  Valladolid,  took  for  his  text,  '■  Lo,  theft  would  I 
get  me  away  far  off,  a?id  remain  in  the  loilderness,'  in  allusion  to 
the  Emperor's  retirement. 

St.  Fra?icis  de  Sales,  as  he  grew  older,  and  especially  when 
he  was  made  chaplain  to  the  Princess  of  Piedmont,  was  anxious 
to  have  help,  so  Jean  Francois  de  Sales,  his  brother,  was 
appointed  his  deputy,  and  soon  after  coadjutor,  with  the  title 
of  Bishop  of  Chalcedon.  St.  Francis  was  not  in  his  element  at 
Court.  '  It  is  certainly  preferable  to  be  poor  within  the  courts 
of  God's  House,'  the  Bishop  wrote  to  Madame  de  Chantal, 
*  rather  than  to  dwell  in  kings'  palaces.  I  have  gone  through 
my  novitiate  at  Court,  but  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  make  my 
profession.'  His  wish  would  have  been  to  give  up  everything 
to  the  coadjutor,  and  himself  to  retire  to  a  quiet  spot  on  the 
Lake  of  Annecy,  where  he  had  restored  an  old  chapel,  and 
built  a  few  hermit-like  cells.  It  was  close  to  the  Benedictine 
monastery  of  Talloires,  and  Francis  told  its  prior  how  he  looked 
forward  to  coming  there,  and  serving  God  with  his  pen  and  his 
breviary,  during  his  declining  days.  He  had  several  spiritual 
works  in  his  mind,  which  his  present  active  life  gave  him  no 
time  to  write,  '  and  I  think  that  ideas  will  pour  down  upon  me 
from  above  like  winter  snowflakes  upon  our  mountains.  O 
for  the  wings  of  a  dove,  that  I  might  fly  aimy  to  that  sacred 

*  Corolla  Walraffi—'Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  230. 
t  Poems  by  the  Rev.  H.  F.  Lyte,  p.  163. 


252 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


resting-place^   and  take  rest  beneath    the  shadow  of  the  cross. 
Expectabo  donee  veniat  immortatio  mea.'* 

Charles  Kingsley,  in  a  paper  on  the  opening  of  the  National 
Gallery  to  the  public,  says :  Picture  galleries  should  be  the 
workman's  paradise,  a  garden  of  pleasure,  to  which  he  goes  to 
refresh  his  eyes  and  heart  with  beautiful  shapes  and  sweet 
colouring,  when  they  are  wearied  with  dull  bricks  and  mortar, 
and  the  ugly,  colourless  things  which  fill  the  workshop  and  the 
factory.  .  .  .  Believe  it,  toil-worn  worker,  in  spite  of  thy  foul 
alley,  thy  crowded  lodging,  thy  grimed  clothing,  thy  ill-fed 
children,  thy  thin,  pale  wife — believe  it,  thou,  too,  and  thine, 
will  some  day  have  your  share  of  beauty.  God  made  you  love 
beautiful  things  only  because  He  intends  hereafter  to  give  you 
your  fill  of  them.  That  pictured  face  on  the  wall  is  lovely,  but 
lovelier  still  may  the  wife  of  thy  bosom  be  when  she  meets  thee 
on  the  resurrection  morn  !  Those  baby  cherubs  in  the  old 
Italian  painting — how  gracefully  they  flutter  and  sport  among 
the  soft  clouds,  full  of  rich  young  life  and  baby  joy  !  Yes, 
beautiful,  indeed,  but  just  such  a  one  at  this  very  moment  is 
that  once  pining,  deformed  child  of  thine,  over  whose  death- 
cradle  thou  wast  weeping  a  month  ago  ;  now  a  child  angel, 
whom  thou  shalt  meet  again,  never  to  part  !  Those  land- 
scapes, too,  painted  by  loving,  wise  old  Claude,  two  hundred 
years  ago,  are  still  as  fresh  as  ever.  How  still  the  meadows 
are  !  how  pure  and  free  that  vault  of  deep  blue  sky  !  No 
wonder  that  thy  worn  heart,  as  thou  lookest,  sighs  aloud,  '  O 
that  I  had  wings  as  a  dove,  then  would  I  flee  away,  and  be  at 
rest ./'  Ay,  but  gayer  meadows  and  bluer  skies  await  thee  in 
the  world  to  come — that  fairyland  made  real — '  the  new  heavens 
and  the  new  earth,'  which  God  has  prepared  for  the  pure  and 
the  loving,  the  just  and  the  brave,  who  have  conquered  in  this 
sore  fight  of  life  If 

A  passage   in  the   Octavia  of  Seneca  has  been  referred  to 

*  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  p.  240. 
t   Charles  Kingsley,  p.  1 28. 


PSALM  LV.  253 

as   being  parallel  to  this   of  David.     It  is  in  the  answer  of 
Octavia  to  the  Chorus,  x\ct  V.,  verses  914-923- 

'  My  woes,  who  enough  can  bewail  ? 

O  what  notes  can  my  sorrows  express  ? 
Sweet  Philomel's  self  e'en  would  fail 

To  respond  with  her  plaintive  distress. 
O  had  I  her  wings,  I  would  fly 

To  where  sorrows  I  ne'er  should  feel  more, 
Upborne  on  her  plumes  through  the  sky, 

Regions  far  from  mankind  would  explore. 
In  a  grove  where  sad  silence  should  reign, 

On  a  spray  would  I  seat  me  alone  ; 
In  shrill  lamentations  complain, 

And  in  wailings  would  pour  forth  my  moan.' 
J.   B.   Clarke  (from  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary). 

Verses  12,  13,  and  14.  For  it  is  not  an  open  enemy  that  hath 
done  me  this  dishonour:  for  then  I  could  have  bor?ie  it.  Neither 
was  it  7}ti?ie  adversary  that  did  magnify  himself  agai?ist  me  : 
for  then  per  adventure  I  would  have  hid  myself  from  him. 

But  it  was  even  thou,  my  compa7iion,  my  guide,  and  mine  own 
fa  m  iliar  friend. 

'  Alas  !  they  had  been  friends  in  youth  ; 
But  whispering  tongues  can  poison  truth  ; 
And  constancy  lives  in  realms  above, 

And  life  is  thorny,  and  youth  is  vain. 
And  to  be  wroth  with  one  we  love 

Doth  work  like  madness  in  the  brain. 
And  thus  it  chanced,  as  I  divine, 
With  Roland  and  Sir  Leoline. 
Each  spake  words  of  high  d-sdain 

And  insult  to  his  heart's  best  brother  ; 
They  parted— ne'er  to  meet  again  ! 

But  never  either  found  another 
To  free  the  hollow  heart  from  paining. 
They  stood  aloof,  the  scars  remaining 
Like  cliffs  which  have  been  rent  asunder ; 

A  dreary  sea  now  flows  between  ; 
But  neither  heat,  nor  frost,  nor  thunder, 

Shall  wholly  do  away,  I  ween, 

The  marks  of  that  which  once  hath  been. 

Verse  15.    We  took  sweet  counsel  together,  atid  lualked  in  the 

*  Colerid^^e. 


254 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


house  of  God  as  friends. — This  verse  is  repeated  by  the  Jews  of 
Italy  when  in  sight  of  the  synagogue. 

Verse  i8.  Iti  the  evcfimg,  aiid  nior?iing,  atid  at  noon-day  will 
I  pray  ^  and  that  instantly. — Here  we  have  the  first  authorization 
of  the  Canonical  Hours. "^ 

This  was  the  custom  of  the  pious  Hebrews  (see  Dan.  vi.  lo). 
The  Hebrews  began  their  day  in  the  evening,  and  hence  David 
mentions  the  evening  first.  The  Rabbins  say,  men  should  pray 
three  times  each  day,  because  the  day  changes  three  times. 
This  was  observed  in  the  primitive  Church ;  but  the  times  in 
different  places  were  various.  The  old  Psalter  gives  this  a 
curious  turn  :  '  At  even  I  sail  tel  his  louing  (praise)  what  tim 
Crist  was  on  the  Crosse ;  and  at  morn  I  sail  schew  his  louing, 
what  tim  he  ros  fra  dede.  And  sua  he  sail  here  my  voice  at 
midday,  that  is  sitand  at  the  right  hand  of  his  fader,  wheder  he 
stegh  (ascended)  at  midday. 't 

The  Shemonah  Esi^ih. — The  most  important  of  the  leading 
prayers  of  the  Hebrew  ritual  is  the  Shetnonah  Esrah,  or 
'  eighteen  supplications. '  This  prayer  is  thought  to  be  of  very 
great  antiquity ;  it  is  said  to  have  been  written  by  Ezra  and  the 
Sanhedrim,  in  the  form  in  which  it  has  come  down  to  us.  But, 
in  reality,  these  '  eighteen  prayers '  are  nineteen,  for  there  is 
one — viz.,  the  twelfth — which  was  interpolated  at  a  later  age  by 
one  Rabbi  Gamaliel,  and  in  which  the  wrath  of  God  is  called 
down  upon  all  the  enemies  of  the  Jewish  race.  The  Shejnonah 
Esrah  is  to  be  said  by  every  Jew  three  times  every  day,  viz.,  in 
the  morning  before  breakfast,  with  the  phylacteries  on  his  arm 
and  head,  next  at  vespers,  and  lastly  in  the  evening. 

It  is  the  most  essential,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  most 
popular  of  all  the  prayers.  AVhile  reciting  it,  the  Jew  must 
stand  in  an  eastward  position,  with  his  feet  close  together  all 
the  time  \  he  must  not  allow  any  interruption  whatsoever  to 
disturb  him,  and  at  the  end  of  the  prayer  he  must  go  three 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii,,  p.  235. 
t  Adam  Clarke's  Comvimtary. 


PSALM  LV.  255 

steps  backward  ;  upon  which  ground,  in  the  everyday  language 
of  the  Jews,  the  Shemojiah  Esrah  walk  means  the  same  thing 
as  what  the  Americans  call  progressing  backwards.  It  may  be 
remarked  that  the  compulsory  recitation  of  this  prayer  three 
times  a  day  is  based  upon  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  '  eveiiing 
and  morning  and  at  noon  will  I  pray ' — Psalm  Iv.  17(18);  and 
on  the  passage  in  Daniel,  who  '  kneeled  upon  his  knees  three 
times  a  day,  and  prayed,  and  gave  thanks  before  his  God,  as  he 
did  aforetime,' 

Verse  21.  The  words  of  his  mouth  were  softer  tha7i  butter^ 
having  ivar  in  his  heart ;  his  words  ivere  smoother  thaii  oil, 
and  yet  be  they  very  swords. 

Well,  when  I  came  to  the  justice  again,  there  was  Mr.  Foster, 
of  Bedford,  who,  coming  out  of  another  room,  and  seeing  me 
by  the  light  of  the  candle,  for  it  was  dark  night  when  I  came 
thither,  he  said  unto  me,  '  Who  is  there  ?  John  Bunyan  ?'  with 
much  seeming  affection,  as  if  he  would  have  leaped  on  my  neck 
and  kissed  me,  which  made  me  somewhat  wonder  that  such 
a  man  as  he,  with  whom  I  had  so  little  acquaintance,  and, 
besides,  that  had  ever  been  a  close  opposer  of  the  ways  of 
God,  should  carry  himself  so  full  of  love  to  me,  but  afterwards, 
when  I  saw  what  he  did,  it  caused  me  to  remember  those  say- 
ings :  '  Their  tongues  were  softer  than  oil,  yet  were  they  drawn 
swords.''* 

Verse  23.  O  cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  He  shall 
nourish  thee :  and  shall  not  suffer  the  righteous  to  fall  for 
ever. 

Francesco  d'Assisi,  the  founder  of  the  Franciscans  in  12 10, 
was  an  Italian  by  birth.  After  an  inaugural  discourse  to  his 
first  disciples,  he  placed  them  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  dis- 
missed them  with  this  blessing  :  '  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the 
Lord,  and  He  shall  nourish  thee' 

*  John  Bunyan.  In  relation  to  J.  B.'s  imprisonment :  written  by  him- 
self vol.  i.,  p.  52. 


2S6  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Martin  Luther,  on  his  last  journey  to  Eislaben,  wrote  to  his 
wife :  '  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  for  He  careth  for 
thee: 

Dr.  Neale,  in  his  comment  on  this  verse,  says :  '  Cast  thy 
burden  on  Him  in  the  same  way  that  the  ship  in  a  storm  casts 
her  burden  on  the  anchor,  which  anchor  holds  on  to  its  sure 
fixing-place.  And,  to  my  mind,  that  is  the  more  beautiful  sense 
of  the  two— a  sense  which,  once  entered  into,  maybe  followed 
out  in  these  glorious  verses  : 

'  And  I  see  the  good  ship  riding,  all  in  a  perilous  road  ; 
The  low  reef  booming  on  her  lee  ;  the  swell  of  ocean  poured, 
Sea  after  sea,  from  stem  to  stern  ;  the  mainmast  by  the  board  : 
The  bulwarks  down  ;  the  rudder  gone  ;  the  boats  stove  by  the  chains  ; 
But  courage  still,  brave  mariners  !  the  ANCHOR  yet  remains  ; 
And  he  will  flinch — no,  never  an  inch,  until  ye  pitch  sky  high  ; 
Then  he  moves  his  head,  as  if  he  said  :  "  Fear  nought,  for  here  am  I !"  '* 

Verse  25.  The  bloodthirsty  and  deceitful  meii  shall  not  live 
out  half  their  days,  nevertheless  my  trust  shall  be  in  Thee,  0 
Lord. 

Thomas  Bozius,  a  Latin,  turns  this  verse  against  the  Eastern 
Church,  and  observes  —  which  is  perfectly  true  —  that  no 
Emperor  of  Constantinople  reigned  more  than  forty  years, 
except  one  who  held  the  sceptre  for  forty-three,  and  two  who 
ruled  for  fifty-six.  One  can  only  be  sorry  that  so  good  a  man 
as  Lorinus  should  have  given  a  kind  of  endorsement  to  this 
interpretation.! 


PSALM  LVL 

LLeading  (Delitzsch). — Cheerful  courage  of  a  fugitive. 

Conte?its  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Thanksgiving  of  the 
righteous  man  because  he  was  delivered  from  the  enemy,  and 
from  the  hand  of  Saul ;  also  concerning  the  Jews  and  concern- 
ing the  Messiah. 

*  Ferguson,  Forging  of  the  AncJior. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Co})inieutaiy^  vol.  ii.,  p.  240. 


PSALM  LVI.  257 

Origin  (Perowne). — According  to  the  inscription,  it  was  com- 
posed when  David  was  detained  in  Gath  by  the  Philistines. 
But  on  neither  occasion  when  he  visited  Gath  does  the  history 
inform  us  of  any  such  detention  (i  Sam.  xxi.  11- 16,  and 
xxvii. — xxix.).  Hupfield  concludes,  from  the  absence  of  any- 
thing in  the  history  corresponding  to  the  title  of  the  Psalm,  that 
the  title  is  not  to  be  trusted.  Yet  it  is,  perhaps,  more  likely  on 
this  very  account  that  it  rests  upon  some  ancient  tradition.  A 
modern  compiler  would  have  endeavoured  to  make  the  title 
square  better  with  the  history. 

In  Church. — In  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  in  the  Recon- 
ciliation of  Penitents  on  Maundy  Thursday,  Psalms  xxxiv.,  li., 
l7jz.,  and  Ivii.  are  used.* 

It  is  also  the  ist  Psalm  of  the  Mesorion  of  the  6th  hour  in 
the  East.t 

Verse  i.  Be  merciful  unto  me,  O  God. — This  is  the  second  of 
the  Psalms  beginning  with  the  Miserere,  the  fifty-first  being 
the  first  of  them. I 

Verse  4.  /  have  put  my  trust  in  God,  and  will  not  fear  what 
flesh  can  do  unto  me. — Dr.  Williams,  Lord  Keeper,  Bishop  of 
Lincoln,  and  Dean  of  Westminster  (who  also  held,  besides, 
several  livings  and  prebendal  stalls,  as  great  a  pluralist  as 
Wolsey),  was  a  great  enemy  of  Laud.  Here  is  an  extract  from 
Laud's  diary  which  illustrates  this  :  'Jan.  25th— It  was  Sunday. 
I  was  alone  and  languishing  with  I  know  not  what  sadness.  I 
was  much  concerned  with  the  envy  and  undeserved  hatred 
borne  to  me  by  the  Lord  Keeper.  I  took  into  my  hands  the 
Greek  Testament,  that  I  might  read  the  portion  of  the  day.  I 
lighted  upon  the  thirteenth  chapter  to  the  Hebrews,  wherein 
that  of  David,  Psalm  Ivi.,  occurred  to  me  then  grieving  and 
fearing  :  "  The  Lord  is  my  helper :  I  will  not  fear  what  man  can 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  269. 
t  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  259. 
X  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

17 


258  PSALM-MOSAICS 

do  unto  me"     I  thought  an  example  was  set  to  me,  and  who  is 
not  safe  under  that  shield  ?     Protect  me,  O  Lord  my  God  !'* 

Verse  8.  Thou  tellest  my  flittt7igs ;  put  my  tears  into  Thy 
dottle,  are  not  these  things  noted  in  Thy  book  ? — This  verse  has 
been  beautifully  imitated  in  P.  Gerhardt's  hymn  : 

'  Du  z'ahlst  wie  oft  ein  Christe  wein.'t 

Compare  George  Herbert's  line, 

'  I  have  not  lost  one  single  tear.' 

St.  Bernard  says,  with  quaint  beauty  :  'The  tears  of  penitents 
are  the  wine  of  angels.' 

A  verse  frequently  in  the  mouth  of  Archbishop  Usher,  one  of 
the  best  and  most  learned  men  of  his  time,  born  in  Dublin, 
1580,  driven  to  and  fro  through  England  and  Ireland  amid  the 
troubles  in  Church  and  State,  during  one  of  the  most  troublous 
times  in  our  history,  and  at  length  finding  the  rest  he  often 
sighed  for  at  Reigate  in  England,  1655,  ^^^^^  he  had  preached 
the  Gospel  for  fifty-five  years,  t 

PSALM  LVIL 

Headifig  (Delitzsch). — Before  falling  asleep  in  the  wilder- 
ness. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — One  of  the  '  Destroy  not '  Psalms  (from 
Abtaschith,  i.e.,  destroy  not). 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  when  Saul  turned  to 
pursue  him ;  also  thanksgiving  and  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles 
to  the  Faith. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is,  in  many  respects,  like 
the  last,  and,  like  that,  was  probably  written   by  David.  .   .   . 

*  Mozleys  Essays,  vol.  i.,  A?-chbishop  Lazid,  p.  137. 

+   77ie  Book  of  Fsabns,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  437. 

X  "7 he  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  89. 


PSALM  LVIL 


=59 


According  to  the  title,  it  was  written  by  David  ^  i?ito  the  cave/ 
T\\Q  history  tells  us  of  two  occasions  on  which  David  found 
refuge  in  a  cave.  The  one  cave  was  that  of  Adullam,  situate 
in  the  face  of  the  chffs  which  skirt  the  low  valley  of  the  Philis- 
tines, I  Sam.  xxii. ;  the  other  was  that  of  Engedi,  one  of  the 
numerous  caves  in  the  limestone  rock  among  the  '  Alps '  or 
high  pastures  of  the  district  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  .  .  .  But  this  is  a  question  which  must  be  left.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  Psalm  either  for  or  against  the  title. 

In  Church. — This  is  the  second  Psalm  at  Matins  on  Easter 
Day.  On  Easter  Day  the  Church  sings  this  Psalm  as  it  were 
by  the  sepulchre  where  her  Beloved  is  sleeping,  awaking  the 
morning  dawn  to  call  upon  Him  to  arise,  and  set  up  Himself 
above  the  Heavens,  and  His  glory  above  all  the  Earth. "^ 

In  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  this  Psalm  is  used  (with 
Psalms  xxxiv.,  li.,  and  Ivi.)  in  the  Reconciliation  of  Penitents 
on  Maundy  Thursday. t 

Verse  i.  For  my  soul  trusteth  in  Thee. — This  hemistich  was 
adopted  as  his  motto  by  Pope  Nicolas  W\.% 

Verses  i  and  2.  Be  merciful  zmto  me,  O  God.,  be  merciful  unto 
me,  for  my  soul  trusteth  in  Thee  ;  and  under  the  shadow  of  Thy 
7i'ings  shall  be  my  refuge,  until  this  tyranny  be  overpast.  I  will 
call  unto  the  Most  High  God.— In  the  late  Franco-German  war 
an  English  writer  entered  the  church  at  Bourget  immediately 
after  an  action.  On  the  altar,  which  was  dinted  with  a  bullet- 
hole,  with  a  bloodstained  book  on  its  steps,  lay  the  great 
Psalter.  The  book  was  opened  at  the  56th  (sythj  Psalm, 
Miserere  mei,  Deus  .  .  .  clamaho  ad  Deum  altissimum.% 

Verse  2.  I  will  call  wito  the  Most  High  God.— The  Targumist 
entered  well  into  both  the  locale  and  the  spirit  of  the  Psalm 

*  Housman,  p.  103, 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Cofnmentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  269. 

X  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  263. 

§   The  Witness  0/ the  Fsalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  279. 


26o  PSALM -MOSAICS 

when  he  gave  this  curious  paraphrase  of  verse  2  :  '  /  will  pray 
in  the  presence  of  the  most  high  and  mighty  God,  ivhohath  bidden 
the  spider  cotnplete  in  the  cavern  its  web  for  7ny  sake.  How  this 
paraphrase  originated  it  is  difficult  to  say ;  but  it  furnishes  a 
striking  anticipation  of  the  well-known  anecdote  of  Robert 
Bruce  in  his  Irish  cabin  when  in  exile  in  the  Isle  of  Rachlin. 

Delitzsch,  who  gives  a  turn  to  the  Targumist's  words  which 
those  familiar  with  the  story  of  Bruce  will  scarcely  relish,  that 
the  web,  providentially  w^oven,  would  deceive  Saul  into  the 
belief  that  the  cave  was  empty,  adduces  in  illustration  two  lines 
of  the  Christian  poet,  Paulinus  of  Nola  : 

'  Sicuti  Christus  adest,  fiet  vel  aranea  murus  : 
Sicuti  Christus  abest,  vel  murus  aranea  fiet.'* 

Verse  6.  Set  up  Thyself,  O  God,  above  the  heave?is,  and  Thy 
gloty  above  all  the  earth. — In  the  Orthodox  Eastern  Church,  in 
the  Liturgy  of  St.  Chrysostom,  after  the  people  have  received, 
the  Priest  blesses  them,  saying  Psalm  xxviii.  10,  and  imme- 
diately afterwards,  returning  to  the  altar,  says  Psalm  Ivii.  6, 
*  Set  up  Thyself,  O  God,  above  the  heavens,  afid  Thy  glory  above 
all  the  earth.' J 

PSALM  LVIII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Cry  for  vengeance  upon  those  who 
pervert  justice. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — This  is  the  fourth  of  the  Psalms  of  the 
Golden  Secret,  and  the  second  of  the  '  Destroy  not.' 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  ;  when  Saul  was  angry 
with  the  priests  because  they  did  not  reveal  to  him  concerning 
David,  that  they  knew  where  he  was ;  also  unfolding  to  us  the 
doctrine  of  the  just  judgment  of  God. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  title  ascribes  this  Psalm  to  David, 

*  Thrupp,  vol.  i.,  p.  327. 

f  Dr.    Is^eale's  Co?/imenta7y,  vol.  iv.,  p.  269. 


PSALM  LVIII.  261 

but  without  assigning  it  to  any  particular  occasion  in  his  life. 
Various  guesses  have  been  made  as  to  the  date  of  its  compo- 
sition, but  the  Psalm  furnishes  us  with  no  data  for  any  certain 
or  even  probable  conclusion. 

The  Whole  Fsal?n.—'LQt  us  remark  the  rugged  and  terrible 
energy  of  the  hurried  images  in  the  58th  Psalm — the  young 
lion,  with  his  broken  tusks  ;  the  waters  hurrying  away  ;  the 
arrow  snapped  upon  the  string;  the  snail  melting  until  it  is 
shrivelled  and  wasted ;  the  abortion  that  never  sees  the  sun  ; 
the  whirlwind  spoiling  the  robber's  feast,  and  sweeping  off 
alike  the  green  living  branch  and  the  angry  heated  ember.* 

Verses  4  and  5.   They  are  as  venomous  as  the  poison  of  a 

serpent :  even  like  the  deaf  adder  that  stoppeth  her  ears  ;  ivhich 

refuseth  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  charmer :  charm  he  never  so 

wisely.— In  the  Second  Part  of  He7iry  VL  Queen  Margaret 

says  to  the  king  : 

'  What,  dost  thou  turn  away,  and  hide  thy  face  ? 
I  am  no  loathsome  leper,  look  on  me. 
What,  art  thou,  like  the  adder,  waxen  deaf?  ^ 
Be  poisonous  too,  and  kill  thy  forlorn  queen.' 

^  ActllL,  Sc.  ii. 

This  beautiful  image  seems  to  have  struck  the  imagination  of 

our  poet,  and  not  without  reason.     He  therefore  makes  use  ot 

it  again,  and  with  singular  propriety,  in  Troilus  and  Cresstda, 

where  Hector  says  to  Paris  and  Troilus  : 

'  Pleasure  and  revenge 

Have  ears  more  deaf  than  adders,  to  the  voice 

Of  any  true  decision.' 

^  Actlll.,  Sc.  ii.t 

Milton  puts  into  the  mouth  of  Samson  a  fine  allusion  to  this 

passage  of  the  Psalmist : 

'  Thy  fair  enchanted  cup,  and  warbling  charms. 
No  more  on  me  have  power  ;  their  force  is  nulled  ; 
So  much  of  adder's  wisdom  I  have  learn'd. 
To  fence  my  ear  against  thy  sorceries.'^ 


*   Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  195. 
t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  52. 
X  Mant  on  The  Psalms,  p.  189. 


262  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  6.  Let  them  fall  away  like  water  that  rimneth  apace. 

'  Buckingham.   For  those  you  make  friends, 
And  give  your  hearts  to,  when  they  perceive 
The  least  rub  in  your  fortunes,  fall  away 
Like  water  from  ye,  never  found  again 
But  where  they  mean  to  sink  ye.' 

Henry  VII L,  Act  II.,  So.  i. 

In  the  Prayer-Book  version  of  Psalm  Iviii.  6,  it  is  said  of  the 
ungodly,  '  Let  them  fall  aivay  like  water  that  runneth  apace  ' — 
ad  nihilum  devenient  tanquam  aqua  decurrens  (Ivii.  8).  As  the 
underlined  phrase,  so  part  of  Shakespeare's  thought  agrees 
with  the  image  which  our  version  would  set  forth,  of  the  swift 
descent,  or  passing  away  from  before  the  gazers'  eyes,  of  each 
successive  portion  of  the  stream.  In  Job  vi.  15  the  imagery  is 
different,  the  falling  away  of  deceitful  friends  being  likened  to 
the  drying  up  of  a  mountain  snow-stream,  which  in  the  day  of 
early  heats  gladdens  the  country,  and  the  thirsty  traveller,  and 
on  the  morrow  of  the  drought  is  gone. 


PSALM  LIX. 

L/eading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  of  an  innocent  man,  whom  men 
are  trying  to  take. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Another  '  Destroy  not '  Psalm. 

Contents  (Syriac). — David  sang  it  when  he  heard  that  Saul 
had  slain  the  priests  ;  it  unfolds  to  us  the  turning  of  the 
Gentiles  to  the  Faith,  and  the  reprobation  of  the  Jews. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm,  whose  tone,  colouring,  and 
expression  have  much  in  common  with  the  four  preceding 
Psalms,  is  said,  in  the  title,  to  have  been  composed  by  David 
when  Saul's  emissaries  watched  him  in  his  own  house.  The 
history  is  given  in  i  Sam.  xix.  11-18.  .  .  .  But  the  internal 
evidence  lends  little  confirmation  to  the  accuracy  of  the  title. 

The  allusions  in  verses  6  and  14  are  obviously  not  pecu- 
liarly applicable  to  Saul's  emissaries  ;  and  all  that  seems  certain 


PSALM  LIX.  263 

is  that  the  Psalm  was  called  forth  by  some  attack  upon  the  life 
of  its  author. 

Verse  5. — At  the  end  of  the  comments  on  this  verse,  in  the 
Co77imentary  on  the  Psalms  by  Doctors  Neale  and  Littledale, 
we  have  these  words  :  '  At  this  point  the  Commentary  of  John 
Mason  Neale  ceases.  The  pen,  fallen  from  the  hand  of  the 
great  scholar,  poet  and  divine,  is  henceforth  taken  up  by  the 
weak  fingers  of  his  disciple,  R.  F.  L.' 

Verse  7.  '  Behold  they  speak  with  their  inouth^  and  swords  are 
in  their  lips,  for  ivho  doth  hearT—^\  will  speak  daggers,'  says 
Hamlet,  Act  III.,  Sc.  ii.,  using  a  metaphor  which  the  Bible  has 
made  familiar  to  us.  '  Swords  are  in  their  lips,'  says  the  Psalmist ; 
and  again,  '  Who  whet  their  tongue  like  a  sword,  and  bend 
their  bows  to  shoot  their  arrows,  even  bitter  words  '  (Ixiv.  3). 
And  no  doubt  there  are  many  cases  in  which  this  is  found  by 
experience  to  be  too  true.     For  instance  : 

'  'Tis  slander  : 
Whose  edge  is  sharper  than  the  siuord,  whose  tongue 
Out-venoms  all  the  worms  of  Nile  ;  whose  breath 
Rides  on  the  posting  winds,  and  doth  belie 
All  corners  of  the  world  ;  kings,  queens,  and  states, 
Maids,  matrons,  nay,  the  secrets  of  the  grave 
This  viperous  slander  enters.' 

Cymbeliney  Act  III.,  Sc.  iv.* 

Verse  10.  '  The  God  of  my  mercy  shall  prevent  me :  God 
shall  let  me  see  iny  desire  upon  mine  enemies''  (Bible  version). — 
This  is  a  favourite  passage  with  Augustine  in  his  arguments 
against  the  Pelagians.  He  often  alleges  it  in  proof  of  the 
doctrine  that  the  grace  of  God  precedes  all  merit  of  man. 
And  here  he  observes  :  '  Quid  in  me  invenisti  nisi  sola  peccata  ? 
.  .  .  Antequam  aliquid  boni  ego  faciam,  misericordia  ejus  prae 
veniet  me.     Quid  hie  respondebit  infelix  Pelagius  ?'t 

Verse  15.  '■They  will  run  here  arid  there  for  meat^  and 
grudge  if  they  be  not  satisfied 'S.  Albert  Magnus  dryly  observes, 
'  This  verse  may  also  be  read  against  archdeacons,   who  are 

^  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  234. 

f   'Ihe  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  453. 


264  PSALM-MOSAICS 

literally  scattered  through  the  episcopate,  not  to  preach,  but  to 
eat,  and  who  murmur  if  they  are  not  provided  for  according  to 
their  fancy.  Not  like  Eliezer,  who  says  (Gen,  xxiv.  33),  "  I  will 
not  eat  till  I  have  told  mine  errand."  And  when  he  had 
finished  he  was  content  with  a  little ;  for  it  is  found  in  the 
same  place,  "And  there  was  bread  set  before  him"  (Gen. 
xxiv.  2>Z^  Vulg.).'* 


PSALM    LX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Drill  Psalm  after  a  lost  battle. 

Contents  (Syriac). — David  sang  it  when  he  said,  '  If  I  fall  into 
the  hands  of  Saul,  I  die,'  and  he  sought  for  safety  in  flight,  and 
also  they  that  were  with  him.  Moreover  it  maketh  known  to 
us  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles,  and  the  termination  of  the 
Jewish  dispensation. 

Origin  (Perowne). — According  to  the  title,  this  Psalm  was 
composed  in  memory  of  Joab's  victory  over  the  Edomites  in 
the  Valley  of  Salt. 

Nothing  is  said  in  the  scanty  record,  in  2  Samuel  viii.,  of  the 
circumstances  which  led  to  this  war ;  but  it  is  probable  that 
whilst  David  was  engaged  in  his  first  Syrian  campaign,  the 
Edomites  turned  the  opportunity  to  good  account,  and  threa- 
tened to,  if  they  did  not  actually,  invade  Palestine. 

The  King  was  compelled  hastily  to  detach  Joab  and  some 
part  of  his  forces  to  meet  these  new  enemies  ...  a  severe 
battle  was  fought  in  the  Valley  of  Salt,  near  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  Dead  Sea,  in  which  the  Edomites  were 
defeated  with  great  slaughter  ...  it  was  in  the  interval  be- 
tween the  first  great  battle  and  the  final  subjugation  of  the 
country  that  this  Psalm,  as  Hengstenberg  and  others  suppose, 
w\is  written.  .  .  .  On  the  other  hand,  it  opens  with  a  wail  of 
lamentation  which  implies  that  the  arms  of  Israel   had  met 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  289. 


PSALM  LX.  265 

with  some  terrible  reverses,  or  that  the  State  had  been  shaken 
by  intestine  disorders. 

But  we  have  no  record,  in  the  history,  of  any  such  catastrophe 
at  the  time.  On  the  contrary,  David  seems  to  have  been  at 
the  very  height  of  his  glory,  and  to  have  been  everywhere  vic- 
torious. ...  To  say  the  least,  therefore,  it  is  not  certain  that 
the  Psalm  belongs  to  the  age  of  David. 

Verse  6.  '  O  God^  Thou  hast  cast  us  out,  and  scattered  us 
abroad.  Thou  hast  been  displeased :  O  turn  Thee  unto  us  again.^ — 
About  Christmas,  686,  being  persuaded  that  his  end  was  draw- 
ing near,  Cuthbert  laid  aside  his  episcopal  function  and  returned 
to  end  his  days  in  the  beloved  solitude  of  Fame  (an  island,  one 
of  a  group  which  lie  off  the  coast  about  six  miles  from  Holy 
Island).  Nearly  three  months  he  lived  on  the  island  at  that 
wintry  and  inclement  season.  In  tw^o  months  he  was  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  be  able  to  leave  his  cell  to  meet  the  brethren 
who  came  to  see  him;  but  about  the  end  of  February  he 
became  so  much  worse  that  he  could  no  longer  do  so.  It  was 
not  long  before  the  end  came.  On  Tuesday,  March  19,  687, 
Walstod  (one  of  the  two  brethren  whom  the  community  had 
prevailed  upon  him  to  accept  as  companions)  came  out  of  the 
cell,  and  told  the  Abbot  of  Lindisfarne  (Herefrid),  who  fre- 
quently visited  the  saint,  that  the  Bishop  desired  to  see  him. 
Herefrid  found  him  in  the  oratory,  lying  in  a  corner  before  the 
altar.  He  sat  down  by  his  side  and  inquired  what  farewell 
message  he  had  to  send  to  the  brethren.  Cuthbert  was  now 
very  weak,  and  could  not  speak  long  at  a  time.  .  .  .  Having 
finished  his  broken  and  interrupted  instructions,  Cuthbert 
spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  looking  forward  to  his  end  and  the 
future  glory.  The  night  he  gave  to  watching  and  prayer. 
About  midnight  he  received  the  last  rites  of  rehgion  from 
Herefrid,  and  strengthened  himself  for  his  passage  by  partaking 
of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  the  Lord.  Then,  lifting  up  his  eyes 
and  stretching  out  his  hand  towards  Heaven,  in  the  early  morn- 
ing he  breathed  out  his  soul  to  God,  on  the  Wednesday  after 


266  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Mid-Lent  Sunday,  20th  March,  687.  Herefrid  immediately 
communicated  the  sad  news  to  the  two  brethren  who  were 
watching  outside.  At  that  moment  they  were  saying  the 
Psahns  of  the  office  for  matins,  and  had  come  to  the  one 
beginning  :  '  I?eus  repulisti  nos  et  destriixisti  nos  ;  iratus  es,  et 
misertus  es  robis^  '  O  God,  Thou  hast  cast  us  out.''  According  to 
an  arrangement  previously  agreed  upon,  one  of  them  lighted 
two  torches,  went  up  to  an  elevated  spot,  and  made  a  signal  to 
the  brethren  at  Lindisfarne  that  the  blessed  spirit  of  their  father 
had  passed  to  God.  The  brother  who  was  watching  at  Lindis- 
farne saw  the  signal,  and  hastened  to  the  church ;  they  were 
assembled  for  matins,  and  at  the  moment  the  messenger 
entered  the  choir  were  singing  the  same  Psalm,  '' Deus 
repulisti.^  The  coincidence  was  afterwards  remembered  as  if  it 
had  been  prophetic  of  troubles — of  what  precise  nature  we  are 
not  informed — which  foUow^ed  immediately  on  the  death  of 
the  Bishop.* 

Verse  4.  '  Thou  hast  given  a  banner  to  them  that  fear  Thee  ' 
(Bible  version). — The  delivery  of  a  banner  into  the  hands  of  a 
suppliant  was  a  sure  pledge  of  protection  in  the  East.f 

Verse  8.  *  Over  Edom  will  I  cast  out  my  shoe.^ — The  casting 
of  a  shoe  is  still  an  emblem  of  subjugation  in  India  and 
Abyssinia.  J 

Verse  12.  '  Through  God  will  we  do  great  acts,  for  it  is  He 
that  shall  tread  doivn  our  e?ie?nies.'' — Wherefore  the  Holy 
Eastern  Church  speaks  thus  in  her  Great  Compline,  that  de- 
fiance of  the  infidel,  which  she  chants  as  a  war-song  in  Lent 
alone. 

'  God  is  with  us,  know  it  ye  nations,  and  be  made  weak. 
For  God  is  with  us. 

Hear  ye,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
For  God  is  with  us. 

*  Diocesan  History  of  Durham^  p.  59. 

t  Observations  on  Divers  Passages  of  Scripture.,  by  Thomas  Harmer. 

X  Tholuck. 


PSALM  LXI.  267 

Though  ye  were  strong,  ye  were  made  weak. 
For  God  is  ivith  us. 

And  if  again  ye  shall  strengthen  yourselves,  again  shall  ye  be  weakened. 
For  God  is  with  us. 

And  if  ye  shall  devise  any  counsel,  the  Lord  will  scatter  it. 
For  God  is  zuith  us. 

And  if  ye  speak  any  word,  it  shall  not  abide  in  you. 
For  God  is  with  us. 

And  we  will  not  be  afraid  of  your  fear,  neither  will  we  be  troubled. 
For  God  is  with  us.  '* 


PSALM  LXI. 

ffeadijig  {DQWizsch). — Prayer  and  thanksgiving  of  an  expelled 
king  on  his  way  back  to  the  throne. 

Conte?its  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David ;  when  Jonathan  made 
known  to  him  the  purpose  of  Saul,  who  was  seeking  his  de- 
struction ;  and  spiritually  signifying  supplication  with  thanks- 
giving. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  title  of  this  Psalm  ascribes  it  to 
David,  but  does  not  say  under  what  circumstances  it  was  com- 
posed (though,  according  to  the  Syriac  version,  it  was  when 
Jonathan  revealed  to  him  Saul's  design  to  slay  him).  There  is 
no  reason  to  doubt  that  David  was  the  author,  and  the  lan- 
guage of  verse  2  renders  it  probable  that  it  was  written  when 
he  was  shut  out  from  the  sanctuary,  and,  therefore,  either 
during  his  persecutions  by  Saul,  or  during  the  rebellion  of 
Absalom ;  verse  4  makes  the  latter  the  more  probable  occasion. 
At  a  time  when  the  Tabernacle  had  itself  no  settled  resting- 
place,  the  wish  to  dwell  and  abide  in  it,  as  Delitzsch  has  rightly 
remarked,  is  not  so  natural  as  afterwards,  when  the  Ark  was 
fixed  on  Mount  Sion. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  was  sung  at  daily  Matins  in  the 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  304. 


^268  PSALM-MOSAICS 

earliest  ages  of  the  Church ;  see  the  Apostolic  Constitutions  : 
thus,  too,  Athanasius  and  other  Fathers."^ 

It  is  also  appointed  in  the  Greek  Church,  in  the  Office  for 
the  Visitation  of  the  Sick.f 

Verse  3.  O  sef  me  tip  upo?i  the  rock  that  is  higher  thaji  I. — 
This  verse  is  inscribed  in  Alderley  Church,  on  the  tablet  erected 
to  the  memory  of  Catherine  Stanley,  the  mother  of  Dean 
Stanley.  Dean  Stanley  says  :  '  That  5th  of  March  '  (the  day 
of  her  death)  'was  the  Ash  Wednesday  of  1862,  when  her 
surviving  son  was  absent  in  attendance  on  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
on  a  journey  through  Egypt  and  Palestine.  On  another  Ash 
Wednesday,  the  ist  of  March,  1876,  he  stood  by  the  deathbed 
of  her  by  whose  supporting  love  he  had  been  comforted  after 
his  mother's  death,  and  whose  character,  although  cast  in 
another  mould,  remains  to  him,  with  that  of  his  mother,  the 
brightest  and  most  sacred  vision  of  his  earthly  experience.']: 

In  the  Memoir  of  Edward  {^\^\\o^  of  Norwich)  and  Catherine 
Stanley  there  occur  the  following  uses  of  certain  Psalms.  The 
first  illustration  xS  taken  from  this  Psalm  : 

The  sense  of  the  effect  of  religion  in  elevating  the  mind  and 
character  above  external  circumstances  : 

^  O  set  me  up  npo/i  the  rock  that  is  higher  than  /' — Psalm 
Ixi.  3. 

Thankfulness  for  the  vicissitudes  of  happiness  and  sorrow  : 
'  O  ivhat  great  troubles  and  adversities  hast  Thou  showed  77ie  ! 

And  yet  didst  Thou  turn  a?id  refresh  /;/<?,  and  broughtest  ?ne  from 

the  deep  of  the  earth  again ^ — Psalm  Ixxi.  18. 

The  unexpected  growth  of  good  out  of  evil : 
'  Unto  the  ungodly  there  ariseth  up  light  in  the  darkness,^ — 
Psalm  cxii.  4. 

*  The  Speaker's  Commentary^  p.  306. 
+   The  hiterleaved  Prayer -Book,  p.  261. 

:J:  Memoir  of  Edward  and  Catherine  Stanley,  by  their  son,  Dean 
Stanley. 


PSALM  LXII.  269 

The  uncertainty  and  mystery  of  the  mode  of  the  Divine 
nature  combined  with  the  certainty  of  its  moral  perfection  : 

'  Clouds  and  darkness  are  roimd  about  Him  ;  righteousness 
a?td  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  His  seat' — Psalm  xcvii.  2. 

The  effect  of  criticism  on  the  Bible  : 

'  Thy  ivord  is  tried  to  the  uttermost,  and '  yet  '  Thy  servant 
loveth  it' — Psalm  cxix.  140. 

The  gradual  formation  of  character  : 

'  The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shi?iing  light,  that  shineth  more 
and  more  utito  the  perfect  ^oy.'— Proverbs  iv.  i8.-*^ 


PSALM  LXII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Resignation  to  God  when  foes  crowd 
in  upon  me. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— From  the  sixfold  use  of  the  word  ac,  or 
ONLY,  we  have  been  wont  to  call  it  The  Only  Psalm. 

Contents  (Syriac).— Written  by  Jeduthun  the  Psalmist.  In 
its  literal  sense  it  is  said  to  contain  an  allusion  to  the  following 
narrative :  When  the  young  men  of  Abner  and  the  young  men 
of  David  were  playing  together  and  slew  each  other,  one  of 
those  that  pertaineth  to  Abner  slew  the  youngest  brother  of  the 
son  of  Zeruiah,  viz.,  the  brother  of  Joab.  And  Joab  kept  it 
in  mind  a  long  time,  and  slew  Abner,  a  mighty  man  in  the 
time  of  Saul.  And  in  its  spiritual  sense  it  indicates  to  us 
now  the  doctrine  of  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  if  we  repent  and 
confess. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm  and  the  39th  are  Psalms 
which,  though  very  different  in  their  subject,  yet  are  so  similar 
in  the  phraseology  which  they  employ,  that  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  they  were  written  by  the  same  author. 

*  Memoir,  p.  326. 


270  PSALM-MOSAICS 

The  Whole  Psalm. — St.  Athanasius  says  of  this  Psalm  : 
'  Against  all  attempts  upon  thy  body,  thy  state,  thy  soul,  thy 
fame,  temptations,  tribulations,  machinations,  defamations,  say 
this  Psalm.' 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  for  Trinity  Sunday  in 
the  Latin  and  Sarum  use."^ 

Verse  i.  My  soul  truly  waiteth  upon  God. — Forty-three  years 
ago,  four  men  were  left  to  starve  on  an  Antarctic  isle,  whither 
they  had  gone  in  the  hope  of  preaching  the  Gospel  to  some  of 
the  lowest  savages  which  the  earth  contains.  Three  of  them 
slowly  died  of  hunger;  the  fourth,  Captain  Allan  Gardiner, 
survived  them  in  a  prolongation  of  agony.  When  the  winter 
was  over,  a  ship  touched  on  that  bleak  shore,  and  his  remains 
were  found  near  the  entrance  of  the  cave  which  had  given  rude 
shelter.  Can  you  imagine  a  lot  more  lonely  or  horrible  ?  Here 
was  a  noble  and  holy  man,  filled  with  the  burning  and  the  sole 
desire  to  make  known  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  miser- 
able Fuegians,  and  God  allowed  him  to  starve  to  death  in 
lonely  anguish  on  a  desert  isle.  And  did  his  faith  fail  in  that 
extremity  of  horror?  Not  for  one  moment.  At  the  entrance 
of  the  cave,  in  red  paint,  he  had  painted  a  rude  hand  pointing 
downward,  and  under  it  the  words,  '■  Aly  soul,  trust  thou  still 
7ipon  God.'  The  diary  containing  his  last  words,  as  for  weeks 
he  slowly  starved  to  death,  is  written  with  the  sunshine  of  joy 
and  peace  in  God.  '  Asleep  or  awake,'  said  one  of  his  starving 
companions,  'I  am  happy  beyond  the  poor  compass  of  language 
to  tell.'  The  very  last  words  which  Allan  Gardiner  wrote  in 
his  diary  were  these :  '  I  know  not  how  to  thank  my  gracious 
God  for  His  marvellous  lovingkindness.'  Many  a  man,  many  a 
king,  many  a  prince,  many  a  millionaire,  might  give  all  that 
he  had  ever  done,  and  all  he  had  ever  possessed,  to  die  a 
death  like  that.  And  did  these  saintly  heroes  die  in  vain  ?  No ! 
Their  very  deaths  brought  about  that  Patagonian  mission  on 
which  their  labours  had  been  spent.t 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  02. 
t   The  Guardian, 


PSALM  LXIII.  271 


PSALM  LXIII. 

Headmg  (Delitzsch). — Morning  hymn  of  one  who  is  per- 
secuted, in  a  waterless  district. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  distinguishing  word  of  this  Psalm  is 
'  EARLY.'  When  the  bed  is  softest  we  are  most  tempted  to 
rise  at  lazy  hours  ;  but  when  comfort  is  gone,  and  the  couch  is 
hard,  if  we  rise  earlier  to  seek  the  Lord,  we  have  much  for 
which  to  thank  the  wilderness. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David;  literally,  when  he 
said  to  the  King  of  Moab,  My  father  and  my  mother  abode  with 
thee  when  they  fled  from  the  face  of  Saul;  and,  in  like  manner, 
I  have  fled  unto  thee.  And  by  us,  now,  it  is  understood  to  be 
the  thanksgiving  of  the  man  that  is  perfect  before  God,  in  the 
Spirit.     Blessed  are  they  that  thirst  after  righteous fiess,  etc. 

Origin  (Perowne).— In  many  respects  the  Psalm  bears  a 
striking  resemblance  to  Psalm  Ixi.,  and  both  Ewald  and  Maurer 
observe  that  the  two  must  clearly  be  referred  to  the  same  cir- 
cumstances and  the  same  author.  That  the  author  was  David 
I  see  no  reason  to  doubt.  .  .  .  According  to  the  inscription,  it 
was  written  in  the  wilderness  of  Judah,  which  would  seem  to 
intimate  that  it  was  written  during  the  persecution  of  Saul 
{cf.  I  Sam.  xxii.  6).  But  against  this  is  verse  11,  where  David, 
as  in  Ixi.,  speaks  of  himself  in  the  third  person,  and  speaks  of 
himself  as  a  king.  Hence  it  is  more  probable  that  the  Psalm 
was  composed  when  he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan,  in 
his  flight  from  Absalom. 

In  Church. — According  to  the  Apostolical  Constitutions, 
Morning  Prayer  began  with  Psalm  Ixiii.  The  first  verse  suggests 
it  as  appropriate.  St.  Chrysostom  and  Cassian  also  mention  it 
as  serving  this  purpose ;  and  St.  Athanasius  commends  it  as 
suitable  likewise  for  early  morning  devotions. 


272  PSALM-MOSAICS 

This  Psalm  is  the  3rd  Psalm  of  the  Greek  Hexapsalmus,  said 
at  the  Morning  Office.  The  last  two  verses  are  repeated.  It 
is  also  the  3rd  Psalm  at  Sunday  Lauds  in  the  Western  Office  ; 
again,  it  is  the  2nd  Psalm  after  the  51st  at  Monday  Lauds ;  the 
4th  in  the  Benedictine  Sunday  Lauds.* 

TAe  Whole  Psalm.^  An  old  English  divine,  Dr.  Donne,  once 
Dean  of  St.  Paul's,  says :  '  As  the  whole  Book  of  Psalms  is, 
oleu??i  effiisum  (as  the  spouse  speaks  of  the  name  of  Christ),  an 
ointment  poured  out  upon  all  sorts  of  sores,  a  cerecloth  that 
supples  all  bruises,  a  balm  that  searches  all  wounds  ;  so  are 
there  some  certain  Psalms  that  are  imperial  Psalms,  that  com- 
mand over  all  affections,  and  spread  themselves  over  all  occa- 
sions— catholic,  universal  Psalms,  that  apply  themselves  to  all 
necessities.  This  is  one  of  these;  for,  of  those  constitutions 
which  are  called  apostolical,  one  is  that  the  Church  should- 
meet  every  day  to  sing  this  Psalm. 't 

The  Doctrine  of  Grace  is   marvellously  stated  in  the   63rd 
Psalm : 

'  Aly  soul  followeth  hard  after  Thee  ; 
Thy  right  hand  upholdeth  me.' 

The  well-known  line, 

'  Hangs  my  helpless  soul  on  Thee,' 

does  not  adequately  express  it.  All  controversies  on  Grace 
and  Free-will  are  hushed  and  folded  up  within  it.  The  soul  is 
always  clinging,  yet  ever  moving ;  always  holding,  yet  always 
held.  We  grasp,  or  we  should  not  have  the  hearts  of  children  ; 
but  we  are  safe,  as  the  child  is  safe,  not  on  account  of  its  tiny 
grasp,  but  because  it  is  held  by  the  strength  of  a  protecting 
love.]: 

*  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p,  263. 

t  Sermons  on  Psalms,  by  W.  J.  Stracey,  p.  89. 

X    The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  2 1 8. 


PSALM  LXIV.  27 i 

Verse  7.  Have  I  not  remembered  Thee  i?i  my  bed,  and  t ho  light 
tipon  Thee  when  I  was  waking?— Ox\.  this  verse  Dr.  Donne 
observes :  '  Now,  as  the  spirit  and  soul  of  the  whole  Book  of 
Psalms  is  contracted  into  this  Psalm,  so  is  the  spirit  and  soul 
of  the  whole  Psalm  contracted  into  this  verse.' 


PSALM  LXIV. 

Heading  {X^Q\\\.z<s>Q\i). — Invocation  of  Divine  protection  against 
the  falseness  of  men. 

Co7tfents  (Syriac). — Composed  by  David,  when  the  prophet 
Gad  warned  him,  saying,  Abide  not  in  the  hold,  for  Saul 
seeketh  to  kill  thee ;  and,  as  respects  ourselves,  in  a  spiritual 
sense,  the  triumph  of  the  Agonists,  and  the  instruction  of  then: 
that  fear  God,  and  victory  in  battle. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  Psalm  is  said  to  be  David's,  and 
Ewald  observes  that  it  so  nearly  resembles  Psalm  vii.  that  one 
might  be  tempted  to  ascribe  it  to  David,  did  not  a  careful 
comparison  contradict  such  a  supposition;  the  minute  criticism 
may  very  well  be  distrusted,  and  the  title  suffered  to  stand. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — There  is  a  Jewish  tradition  in  the  Mid- 
rash  that  this  Psalm  was  prophetic  of  Daniel,  and  that  it  was 
recited  by  him  in  the  lions'  den.  It  unquestionably  contains 
several  passages  peculiarly  apposite  to  that  event. "^ 

In  many  of  our  English  cathedrals,  over  the  stall  of  each 
Prebendary,  the  numbers  of  certain  Psalms  are  still  painted. 
The  reason,  some  of  us  will  be  glad  to  hear  from  Donne  in  a 
sermon  on  the  64th  Psalm,  which  he  entitles,  'The  third  of 
my  Prebend  Sermons  upon  my  five  Psalms.'    Our  predecessors 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Comvientary^  vol.  ii.,  p.  333. 

18 


274  PSALM-MOSAICS 

in  the  service  of  this  Church  have  declared  such  devotion  to 
this  particular  Book  of  Scripture  as  that,  by  distributing  the 
one  hundred  and  fifty  Psalms  into  thirty  portions  (of  which 
number  the  body  of  our  Church  consists),  and  assigning  to 
every  one  of  those  thirty  persons  his  five  Psalms,  to  be  said  by 
him  every  day,  every  day  God  receives  from  us  (howsoever  we 
be  divided  from  one  another  in  place)  the  sacrifice  of  praise  in 
the  whole  Book  of  Psalms.  And  though  we  may  be  absent 
from  this  quire,  yet,  wheresoever  dispersed,  we  make  up  a 
quire  in  this  service  of  saying  over  all  the  Psalms  every  day. 
As  the  whole  Book  is  manna,  so  these  five  Psalms  are  my 
gomer,  which  I  am  to  fill  and  empty  every  day  of  the  manna.* 

This  Psalm  is  a  Mcmual  for  those  who  are  debarred  by 
sickness,  or  any  other  cause,  from  the  privilege  of  public 
worship  and  communion  in  the  Church  of  GoD.f 

Verse  i.  Preserve  my  life  from  fear  of  the  ene7iiy. — This 
petition  is  embodied  in  both  our  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer. 
'  That  we,  surely  trusting  in  Thy  defence,  may  ?wt  fear  the 
poiver  of  a7iy  adversaries'  (Morning  Prayer,  2nd  Collect).  'That 
we,  being  defended  f?'o?n  the  fear  of  our  enemies^  may  pass  our 
time  in  rest  and  quietness'  (Evening  Prayer,  2nd  Collect).! 

Verse  8  {Bible  versioji).  So  they  shall  make  their  own  tongue 
to  fall  upon  themselves. 

'  In  these  cases, 
We  still  have  judgment  here,  that  we  but  teach 
Bloody  instructions,  which,  being  taught,  return 
To  plague  the  inventor.     This  even-handed  justice 
Commends  the  ingredients  of  our  poison'd  chalice 
To  our  own  lips.'§ 

*  The  Witness  of  the  Psalnis  to  Christ  and  Christianity .^  p.  94. 

t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  94. 

X  Kay  on  The  Psabns,  p.  194. 

§  Shakespeare. 


PSALM  LXV. 


PSALM  LXV. 


275 


Headi?ig  (Delitzsch). — Thanksgiving  song  for  victory  and 
blessings  bestowed. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  Lyrical  Poem. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — literally,  when  he 
brought  up  the  Ark  of  God  to  Zion;  and,  as  respects  our- 
selves, spiritually,  containing  an  allusion  to  the  preaching  of 
the  Apostles,  who  converted  the  Gentiles  by  the  proclamation 
of  the  Gospel. 

Origiji  (Perowne). — We  can  hardly  doubt  that  this  Psalm 
was  composed  on  the  occasion  of  an  abundant  harvest,  and 
was  intended  to  be  sung  as  a  hymn  of  thanksgiving  by  the 
whole  congregation  gathered  before  God  in  Zion. 

From  the  allusions  in  verses  7  and  8,  it  would  seem  that  the 
time  was  one  of  great  political  convulsion,  of  a  shaking  of 
nations  and  kingdoms,  in  the  midst  of  which  God  had  mani- 
fested His  goodness  to  His  people. 

This  twofold  character  of  the  Psalm  is  best  explained  by 
referring  it  to  the  time  immediately  subsequent  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Assyrian  army  before  Jerusalem.  An  abundant 
harvest,  it  had  been  promised  (Isa.  xxxvii.  30),  should  follow 
that  event ;  and  the  fields  so  lately  trampled  beneath  the  feet 
of  the  invader  seemed  now,  with  their  waving  crops,  to  sing 
and  shout  for  joy.  The  title  of  the  Psalm  assigns  it  to  David, 
but  it  is  impossible  to  read  it  and  not  to  feel  that  it  bears  every 
evidence  of  a  later  date.  So  strong,  indeed,  is  this  evidence, 
that  even  Delitzsch,  who  is  usually  a  strenuous  supporter  of  the 
Inscriptions,  abandons  the  tradition  here,  and,  with  Ewald, 
thinks  that  the  Psalm  was  written  about  the  time  of  Senna- 
cherib's overthrow  {i.e.^  circa  712  B.C.). 


276  PSALM-MOSAICS 

l7i  Church. — Let  us  read  the  65th  Psalm  with  the  appli- 
cation which  has  long  been  given  to  it  by  the  deepest  Christian 
spirits.  For  that  Psalm  forms  part  of  the  Office  for  the  Dead 
in  most  of  the  Western  services.  The  second  verse  is  its 
Antiphon  : 

*  O  Thou  that  hearest  prayer, 
Unto  Thee  shall  all  flesh  come.' 

He  is  '  the  Hope  of  all  the  ends  of  the  earth,'  of  those  who 
rest  beneath  the  sod  in  lands  that  are  far  away.  A  cry  rises 
over  the  furrowed  graves.     Faith  looks  for  a  time 

'When  with  joy  the  hills  shall  be  girded.' 

The  song  rises : 

*  O  blessed  is  the  land  of  God, 
Where  saints  abide  for  ever.' 

This  interpretation  seems  to  be  justified  by  the  teaching  of 
our  Lord  and  of  St.  Paul."^ 

In  the  Holy  Eastern  Church  at  the  Burial  of  the  Dead.  At 
the  Burial  of  the  Laity  it  is  the  Antiphon  to  the  Gospel  (Psalm 
Ixv.  4),  and  also  at  the  Burial  of  Priests,  f 

The  Whole  Fsalm.—Th&  Commentary  of  Gerhohus  upon 
this  Psalm  is  a  powerful  treatise  on  the  corruptions  of  the 
Church  in  his  day,  extending  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-six 
chapters  or  sections,  of  great  historical  interest,  but  contributing 
only  at  rare  intervals,  and  then  most  slenderly,  to  the  elucida- 
tion of  the  text,  which  is  used  throughout  more  as  furnishing 
mottoes  than  as  matter  for  exposition.  | 

Verse  i.  Thou,  O  God,  art  praised  in  Sion  ;  a?id  u?ito  Thee 
shall  the  i)ow  be  pe?'f armed  in  /ertisale?n. — St.  Brendan  was  a 

*    The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity y  p.  198. 
+  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  iv.,  p.  275. 
X  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  343. 


PSALM  LXV.  277 

monk  who,  in  559  a.d.,  founded  the  Abbey  of  Clonfert  (in  the 
Barony  of  Longford,  Co.  Galway).  He  was  a  man  famous  for 
his  great  abstinence  and  virtues,  and  the  father  of  3,000  monks. 
There  is  a  famous  legend  of  St.  Brendan  and  his  seven  years' 
voyage  in  search  of  the  '  land  promised  to  the  Saints.' 

The  tale  was  so  popular  in  the  Middle  Ages,  that  it  appears 
in  different  shapes  in  almost  every  early  European  lay.  It  was 
not  only  the  delight  of  monks,  but  it  stirred  up  to  wild  voyages 
many  a  secular  man  in  search  of  St.  Brendan's  isle,  '  which  is 
not  found  when  it  is  sought,'  but  was  said  to  be  visible  at  times 
from  Palma  in  the  Canaries.'  .  .  .  The  whole  tale,  from  what- 
ever dim  reports  of  fact  they  may  have  sprung,  is  truly  '  a 
monkish  Odyssey,  and  nothing  more.  It  |  is  a  dream  of  the 
hermit's  cell.  No  woman,  no  city,  no  nation,  is  ever  seen 
during  the  seven  years'  voyage.'  Ideal  monasteries  and  ideal 
hermits  people  the  'deserts  of  the  oceans.'  All  beings  therein 
(save  demons  and  cyclops)  are  Christians,  even  to  the  very 
birds,  and  keep  the  festivals  of  the  Church  as  eternal  laws  of 
nature.  The  voyage  succeeds,  not  by  seamanship  or  geographic 
knowledge,  nor  even  by  chance,  but  by  the  miraculous  presci- 
ence of  the  saint,  or  those  whom  he  meets ;  and  the  wander- 
ings of  Ulysses  or  of  Sinbad  are  rational  and  human  in 
comparison  with  those  of  St.  Brendan. 

Among  his  travels  he  came  to  an  'isle,  very  grassy  and 
wooded,  and  full  of  flowers,  with  a  beautiful  fountain ';  over 
it  was  a  huge  tree  of  wonderful  breadth,  but  no  great  height, 
covered  with  snow-white  birds,  so  that  its  leaves  and  boughs 
could  scarce  be  seen.  .  .  .  Then  one  of  those  birds  flew  off 
from  the  tree,  and  his  wings  sounded  like  bells  over  the  boat. 
And  he  sat  on  the  prow  and  spread  his  wings  joyfully,  and 
looked  quietly  on  St.  Brendan  ;  and  when  the  man  of  God 
questioned  that  bird,  it  told  how  they  were  of  the  spirits  which 
fell  in  the  great  ruin  of  the  old  enemy,  not  by  sin  or  by  consent, 
but  predestined  by  the  piety  of  God  to  fall  with  those  with 
whom  they  were  created.  But  they  suffered  no  punishment, 
only  they  could  not,  in  part,  behold  the  presence  of  God.    They 


278  PSALM-MOSAICS 

wandered  about  this  world,  like  other  spirits  of  the  air,  and 
firmament,  and  earth.  But  on  holy  days  they  took  these 
shapes  of  birds,  and  praised  their  Creator  in  that  place.  Then 
the  bird  told  him  how  he  and  his  monks  had  wandered  one 
year  already,  and  should  wander  for  six  more,  and  every  year 
should  celebrate  their  Easter  in  that  place,  and  after  find  the 
Land  of  Promise,  and  so  flew  back  to  its  tree. 

And  when  the  eventide  was  come,  the  birds  began  all  with 
one  voice  to  sing,  and  clap  their  wings,  saying  :  '  T/iou,  O  Lord, 
art  praised  in  Sion,  and  unto  Thee  shall  the  vow  be  performed  i7i 
Jerusalem.''  And  always  they  repeated  that  verse  for  an  hour, 
and  their  melody  and  the  clapping  of  wings  was  like  music 
which  drew  tears  by  its  sweetness.  And  when  the  man  of  God 
wakened  his  monks  at  the  third  watch  of  the  night  with  the 
verse,  'Thou  shalt  open  my  lips,  O  Lord,'  all  the  birds  an- 
swered, '  Praise  the  Lord,  all  angels,  praise  Him,  all  His 
virtues '  (cxlviii.  2).  And  when  the  dawn  shone  they  sang  again, 
'The  splendour  of  the  Lord  God  is  over  us';  and  at  the  third 
hour,  '  Sing  psalms  to  our  God,  sing ;  sing  to  our  King,  sing 
with  wisdom '  (xlvii.  6).  And  at  the  sixth  hour,  '  The  Lord 
hath  lifted  up  the  light  of  His  countenance  upon  us,  and  had 
mercy  on  us '  (iv.  6).  And  at  the  ninth  hour,  '  Behold,  how 
good  and  joyful  a  thing  it  is,  brethren,  to  dwell  together  in 
unity'  (cxxxiii.  i).  So  day  and  night  these  birds  gave  praise 
to  God.  St.  Brendan,  therefore,  seeing  these  things,  gave 
thanks  to  God  for  all  His  marvels,  and  the  brethren  were 
refreshed  with  that  spiritual  food  till  the  octave  of  Easter."^ 

Verse  3.  My  misdeeds  prevail  agai?ist  me,  O  be  thou  nierciful 
unto  our  sins. — The  old  Scottish  version  of  this  verse  in  their 
singing  Psalms  is  most  execrable : 

•  Iniquities  I  must  confess, 
Prevail  against  me  do  ; 
And  as  for  our  trans-gres-si-ons, 
Them  purge  away  wilt  Thou.' 

*   The  Hermits  (Kingsley),  p.  265. 


PSALM  LXV.  279 

O  David,  if  thou  art  capable  of  hearing  such  abominable 
doggerel  substituted  for  the  nervous  words  thou  didst  compose 
by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  what  must  thou  feel,  if 
chagrin  can  affect  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  ?^ 

Verse  6.  Thou  that  art  the  hope  of  them  that  remain  in  the 
broad  sea, 

'  Who  dies  in  Christ  the  Lord  dies  well, 

Though  on  the  lonely  main  ; 
As  soft  the  pillows  of  the  deep, 
As  tranquil  the  uncurtained  sleep, 
As  on  the  couch  where  fond  ones  weep,— 

And  they  shall  rise  again. 

'  Not  safer  on  the  sea  of  glass 

Before  the  throne  of  God  ; 
As  sacred  is  that  ocean-cave, 
Where  weeds  instead  of  myrtle  wave, 
As  near  to  God  that  unknown  grave, 

As  the  dear  churchyard's  sod. 

'  The  sea  shall  give  them  back,  though  death 

The  well-known  form  destroy  ; 
Nor  rock,  nor  sand,  nor  foam  can  chain. 
Nor  mortal  prison-house  retain. 
Each  atom  shall  awake  again. 

And  rise  with  song  and  joy.'t 


PSALM  LXVL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Thanksgiving  for  a  National  and 
personal  deliverance. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Concerning  sacrifices  and  burnt  offerings, 
and  the  incense  of  rams  ;  and  spiritually,  the  calling  of  the 
Gentiles  and  preaching. 

Origin  (Perowne). — From  the  language  of  verses  8-12,  the 
Psalm  would  seem  to  have  been  composed  on  the  occasion  of 

*  Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary,  p.  2138. 
+   The  Graves  of  Ocean,  by  Dr.  Bonar. 


28o  PSALM-MOSAICS 

some  special  deliverance,  but  the  expressions  used  are  too 
general  to  lead  to  any  certain  conclusion  as  to  the  time 
when  it  was  written  .  .  .  not  a  single  critic  of  any  name 
has  ventured  to  place  this  Psalm  earlier  than  the  times  of 
Hezekiah. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  said  to  be  recited  on  Easter  Day 
by  the  Greek  Church  ;  it  is  described  in  the  Greek  Bible  as  A 
Psahn  of  the  Resurrection^  and  may  be  understood  to  refer,  in  a 
prophetic  sense,  to  the  regeneration  of  the  world,  through  the 
conversion  of  the  Gentiles.* 

Verse  4.  O  come  hither.,  and  behold  the  works  of  God. — 
*  Francis  traced  out  for  himself  at  this  time  a  rule  of  life 
which  is  remarkable  for  a  young  man  not  yet  twenty.  Begin- 
ning with  what  he  calls  his  "  preparation,"  he  looks  forward  to 
the  day's  cares  and  duties,  the  danger  and  temptation  it  may 
present,  and  the  way  to  meet  them  with  firm  resolution,  com- 
mending his  heart  and  mind,  his  will,  memory,  and  whole  being 
to  God.  "  My  first  waking  thought,"  he  says,  "  shall  be  a 
thanksgiving,  and  I  will  call  to  mind  the  shepherds  at  Beth- 
lehem, and  the  holy  women  at  the  sepulchre,  like  them  dedi- 
cating the  dawn  of  day  to  my  risen  Lord,  the  Light  of  the 
world.  I  will  daily  hear  Mass  with  all  the  earnestness  of  my 
soul,  crying  out  :  '  O  come  hither,  and  behold  the  works  of  the 
Lord.''  'Let  us  now  go  even  to  Bethlehem,  and  see  this  thing 
whicii  is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made  known  to 
us.'  My  meditation  must  be  carefully  made,  and  if  it  is 
hindered  during  the  day,  I  must  shorten  sleep  rather  than 
neglect  it.  And  if  I  wake  during  the  night,  I  will  kindle  my 
heart  with  the  words  :  '  At  midnight  there  was  a  cry  made. 
Behold  the  Bridegroom  cometh,  go  ye  out  to  meet  Him !'  and, 
remembering  that  He  was  born  amid  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
I  will  ask  of  Him  to  be  born  anew  in  my  heart ;  the  shadows 

*  Psalms  of  David,  by  Daniel  Cresswell. 


PSALM  LXVI.  281 

of  night  shall  speak  to  me  of  the  darkness  of  indifference  and 
sin,  and  I  will  pray  the  Lord  to  lighten  our  darkness  with  His 
own  life-giving  light.  I  will  call  to  mind  what  the  Psalmist 
said  :  '  Lift  up  your  hands,  and  praise  the  Lord.'"^  '  I  water 
my  couch  with  my  tears  I'f  If  any  nocturnal  terrors  beset,  I 
will  remember  that  my  guardian  angel  is  at  hand,  and  say  : 
'  He  that  keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep.'l 
'  He  shall  defend  thee  under  His  wings,  and  thou  shalt  be  safe 
under  His  feathers ;  thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  for  any  terror  by 
J^ight.'§  'The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation;  of  whom 
then  shall  I  be  afraid  ?'||"'ir 

Verse  11.  We  went  through  fire  and  ivater,  and  Thou 
broughiest  ns  out  into  a  wealthy  p/ace. — A  young  Presbyterian 
minister  from  Jamaica,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Winton,  had  visited 
England,  and  was  carrying  back  with  him  his  young  bride. 
The  Sunday  before  he  sailed  in  the  ill-fated  Amazon,  he 
preached  from  the  text  (Ps.  Ixvi.  12),  '  IJ^e  we?it  through  fire, 
and  through  water,  but  Thou  broughtest  us  out  into  a  wealthy 
place.'  All  our  readers  will  remember  the  burning  of  the 
Amazon,  and  some  who  were  saved  from  the  burning  wreck 
have  testified  that  when  last  they  saw  the  young  minister  he 
was  kneeling  on  the  deck,  with  his  arms  round  his  young  wife ; 
and  so  '  through  fire  and  through  water '  God  brought  them 
into  His  '  wealthy  place.'** 

Lorinus,  writing  at  a  time  when  the  Turkish  corsairs  ravaged 
the  Mediterranean  coasts,  and  even  at  times  the  shores  of 
Northern  Europe,  applies  the  text  to  the  hard  lot  of  the 
Christian  captives  in  Algiers  and  Morocco. 

Again  we  are  told  of  the  sufferings  of  the  martyrs,  some 

*  Ps.  cxxxiv.  3.  t  Ps.  vi.  6.  ;   Ps.  cxxi.  4. 

§  Ps.  xci.  4,  5.  il   Ps.  xxvii.  I.  ^  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  p.  24. 

'**   The  Pulpit,  Ancient  and  Modern,  by  Paxton  Hood,  chap.  viii. 


282  PSALM-MOSAICS 

winning  their  crown  in  fire,  like  St.  Polycarp,  some  in  water,  as 
St.  Clement  of  Rome."^" 

'  Yea,  the  better  part  she  chooseth, 

She  elects,  for  conscience'  sake, 
Torments  in  the  scalding  water, 

This  the  couch  she  wills  to  make, 
If  through  fire,  and  if  through  water. 

She  to  song  eternal  wake. 
Thou  who  givest  palm  to  martyrs, 

To  the  virgins  fair  renown. 
Grant  to  us  with  Saint  Cecilia 

Here  to  bear  the  casting  down, 
So  with  her  we  win  hereafter 

Recompense,  reward,  and  crown. 't 

Verses  13  and  14.  I  will  offer  unto  Thee  fat  burnt-sacrifices^ 
with  the  incense  of  rams  :  I  will  offer  bullocks  and  goats. 

O  come  hither.,  and  hear  ke7i.,  all  ye  that  fear  God:  and  I  will 
tell  you  ivhat  He  hath  done  for  my  soul. 

There  was  in  the  city  of  Beth- Asa,  in  the  province  of  Adiu- 
bene,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  Mosul,  two  brothers,  by 
name  Jonas  and  Brich-Jesus.  Having  heard  that  in  the  city  of 
Hubaha  an  unusual  number  of  apostasies  had  occurred,  they 
determined  themselves  to  travel  thither,  and  to  endeavour,  so 
far  as  might  be  in  their  power,  to  strengthen  their  brethren. 
Their  efforts  were  crowned  with  much  success  ;  and  besides  a 
larger  number  of  confessors,  they  had  the  satisfaction  of  reckon- 
ing nine  martyrs  among  their  pupils.  The  names  of  the  latter 
were  Zebinas,  Lazarus,  Maruthas,  Narseter,  Elias,  Mahares, 
Abibus,  Sabas,  and  Shembaitas.  The  Governor  of  the  city, 
hearing  of  the  arrival  and  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the  strangers, 
summoned  them  before  his  tribunal,  and  endeavoured,  at  first 
with  kindness,  to  bend  them  to  his  will.  Refusing  to  worship 
the  sun,  the  moon,  fire,  and  the  holy  water,  they  were  scourged 
with  orange  boughs,  from  which,  says  the  historian,  the  knots 
and  buds  had  not  been  removed,  and  were  then  confined  in 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Couimentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  360. 
t  W.  Chatterton  Dix, 


PSALM  LXVI.  283 

separate  prisons,  under  the  idea  that,  if  divided,  each  might  be 
more  easily  overcome. 

Jonas  was  the  first  who  was  again  called  before  the  magis- 
trate, and,  on  his  second  refusal,  was  scourged  more  severely 
than  before,  his  weight  being  suspended  in  the  meantime  on  a 
blunted  point  put  under  the  centre  of  the  stomach.  The 
annalist,  who  was  present,  and  who  seems  to  have  taken  down 
what  he  uttered,  gives  his  words  as  follows  : 

'I  yield  Thee  thanks,  God  of  Abraham,  our  Father,  who 
didst  of  old  time  call  him  by  his  grace  from  this  place ' — the 
city  in  which  he  suffered  was  the  ancient  Ur  of  the  Chaldees — 
'  and  hast  made  me  worthy  by  the  mysteries  of  faith  to  know 
some  few  things  out  of  many  concerning  Thee.  And  now  I 
pray  Thee,  O  Lord,  give  me  to  make  good  that  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  of  old  time  spake  by  the  mouth  of  David :  / 
ivi/l  offer  utito  Thee  fat  burnt-sacrifices  with  the  incense  of  rams  ; 
Izvill  offer  bullocks  and  goats.  O  come  hither  a?id  hearkeii^  ye 
that  fear  God,  and  I  ivill  tell  you  what  He  hath  dofie  for  7?iy 
soulJ  And  one  verse  which  seems  to  have  been  continually  in 
his  mouth  was  :  '  One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,  that 
will  I  require,' 

It  were  endless  to  go  through  with  the  torments  by  which 
this  martyr  of  Christ  was  tried.  It  is  said  that,  being  thrown 
into  a  caldron  of  boiling  pitch,  he  came  forth  unhurt.  Finally 
he  was  cut  in  pieces,  his  remains  being  thrown  into  a  well,  and 
a  guard  of  soldiers  set  over  them,  to  preserve  them  from  the 
adoration  of  the  Christians."^ 

These  Persian  martyrs  gained  their  crown  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  327. 

*  The  Holy  Eastern  Church :  Patriarchate  of  Antioch,  by  Dr.  Neale, 
p.  117. 


284  PSALM-MOSAICS 

PSALM  LXVII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Harvest  Thanksgiving  Song. 

Co9itents  (Syriac). — Of  uncertain  authorship.  The  people 
sang  it  when  they  conducted  David  over  the  River  Jordan  ; 
and  to  us,  moreover,  it  signifies  a  prophetic  intimation  of  the 
call  of  the  Gentiles,  the  preaching  of  the  Apostles,  and  the 
judgment  of  the  Lord. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm,  which,  like  the  last,  is 
anonymous,  and  which  is  evidently  much  later  than  the  age  of 
David,  may  have  been  composed  either  in  the  time  of  Hezekiah, 
when  great  hopes  began  to  be  entertained  of  God's  purposes 
towards  the  nation,  or  at  a  time  subsequent  to  the  return  from 
the  exile,  when  those  hopes  w^ere  so  signally  revived.  .  .  . 
Clearly  designed  for  liturgical  use,  and  may  have  been  wTitten, 
like  the  65  th,  at  the  time  of  the  gathering  in  of  the  harvest  (see 
verse  6). 

In  Church. — The  67th  Psalm  has  been  used  at  Lauds. 

It  had  become  familiar  to  the  English  Church,  coupled  with 
a  bidding  prayer  on  Sunday,  in  the  Salisbury  use. 

In  1552  it  was  allowed  as  an  alternative  to  the  Nunc 
Diffiittis.'*' 

It  is  used  in  several  benedictions,  as  the  Churching  of 
Women,  and  the  blessing  of  bells,  and  in  the  processions  for 
fine  weather.f 

Evensong  Canticle ;  Holy  Matrimony. — When  sung  as  an 
Evensong  Canticle,  the  catholicity  of  blessing  invoked  is  the 
leading  idea ;  but  when  used  as  a  wedding  song,  the  two  last 
verses,  invoking  increase  and  blessing,  are  more  prominent.:}: 

The  Whole  Psahn. — Luther  composed  his  hymn,  '  The  Lord 

*  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  71. 
+  Dr.  Neale's  Cotfimentary,  p.  366. 
%  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  119. 


PSALM  LXVII.  285 

be  merciful  unto  us  '  ('Es  wolle  Gott  uns  gnaldig  sein'),  after 
this  Psalm."*^ 

The  Pater  Nosier  of  the  Ancient  Church. 

The  great  sacrafnental  ideas  of  the  Gospel  are  also  provided 
for  in  the  Psalter.  It  has  strains  which  imply  and  go  forth  to 
meet  the  conception  of  entrance  into  the  new  community  by  a 
new  birth,  and  of  the  continual  sustenance  of  the  spiritual  life 
by  a  Eucharistic  Feast.  In  the  87th  Psalm  we  have  the  three- 
fold asseveration  that,  in  the  days  of  the  Church's  expansion 
into  all  lands,  every  citizen  of  the  Sion  can  only  be  introduced 
into  it,  and  registered  among  its  people,  by  an  act  which  is 
looked  upon  as  nothing  less  than  a  new  birth. 

'  This  man  was  born  there, 

And  of  Zion  it  shall  be  said, 
This  and  that  man  was  born  in  her.   .   .   . 
The  Lord  shall  rehearse,  when  He  writeth  up  the  people 

That  this  man  was  born  there.' 

How  deeply  this  thought  sank  into  the  hearts  of  the  people 
is  witnessed  by  the  Talmud  and  the  Cabalists. 

The  saying  of  the  Great  Teacher  to  Nicodemus — '  Except  a 
man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  Except 
a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God' — floods  the  87th  Psalm  with  light.  The 
font  is  its  best  interpreter. t 

Verse  i.  God  be  merciful  unto  us — Deus  misereatur. — This 
was  a  favourite  expression  of  Bishop  Milman's  in  his  journals. 
We  first  meet  with  it  when  he  was  at  Delhi  giving  an  address 
at  the  Mission  College  : 

'  I  spoke  for  an  hour  and  a  half  I  heard  afterwards  that 
the  natives  received  the  address  well,  and  that  it  was  well 
adapted  for  the  missionaries'  object  in  asking  for  it.  Deus 
misereatur.^ 

*  Tholuck's  Cojnmentary,  p.  4. 

t  The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  248. 


286  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'St.  Paul's  Day,  1873,'  he  writes  in  his  journal — 'my  fifty- 
seventh  birthday.  Deus  misereatur  I  After  Holy  Communion 
in  the  cathedral,  I  took  the  Bengali  service  for  Sandel,  who  was 
ill.'* 

Bishop  Milman's  name  will  go  down  to  posterity  associated 
with  his  beautiful  book,  'The  Love  of  the  Atonement'  When 
he  was  appointed  to  the  See  of  Calcutta  in  1867,  it  contained 
nearly  1,000,000  square  miles,  or  two-thirds  of  all  India — about 
the  same  amount  of  territory  as  is  comprised  in  France, 
Germany,  Italy,  Austria,  and  Spain — with  a  population  of 
150,000,000  inhabitants. 

Bishop  Milman  died  at  Rawul  Pindi,  in  March,  1876. 


PSALM  LXVIII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Hymn,  of  war  and  victory  in  the  style 
of  Deborah. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  most  soul-stirring  hymn.  The  first 
verses  were  often  the  battle-song  of  the  Covenanters  and  Iron- 
sides ;  and  the  whole  Psalm  fitly  pictures  the  way  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  among  His  saints,  and  His  ascent  to  glory. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  when  the  kings  made 
ready  to  fight  with  him  ;  and,  secondaril}^,  a  prophecy  concern- 
ing the  dispensation  of  the  Messiah,  and  concerning  the  call  of 
the  Gentiles  to  the  Faith. 

Origin  (Perowne). — There  is  the  greatest  difference  of 
opinion  both  as  to  the  occasion  for  which  and  the  period  at 
which  the  Psalm  was  written,  some  regarding  it  as  one  of  the 
later,  or  even  of  the  very  latest,  of  Hebrew  poems.  It  remains 
for  us  to  consider  how  far  the  allusions  in  the  Psalm  itself  may 
help  us  to  determine  its  age  and  the  occasion  for  which  it  was 
composed. 

*  Memoir  of  Robert  Alihnan,  pp.  32,  232. 


PSALM  LXVIII.  287 

First,  then,  it  is  clear  that  the  great  central  idea  of  the  Psalm 
is  the  choice  of  Zion  as  the  dwelling-place  of  Jehovah. 

Secondly,  this  fact  of  itself  would  lead  us  to  fix  upon  the  age 
of  David  as  the  most  probable  time  for  the  composition  of  the 
Psalm,  and  the  removal  of  the  ark  to  Zion  as  the  most  probable 
occasion. 

Thirdly,  the  mention  of  the  four  tribes,  Benjamin,  Judah, 
Zebulun,  and  Naphtali,  as  representatives  of  the  south  and 
north  kingdoms  respectively,  seems  more  natural  then  than  at 
any  later  period. 

Fourthly,  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  the  tribe  of  Benjamin 
is  introduced,  as  '  little  Benjamin  their  ruler,'  does  not  seem 
suitable  to  post-exile  times,  but  is  very  naturally  to  be  explained 
at  a  time  shortly  subsequent  to  the  death  of  Saul.  The  tribe 
which  had  been  the  royal  tribe,  and  had  so  lately  enjoyed  the 
pre-eminence  in  Israel,  might  still  be  honoured  with  the  title  of 
'  ruler.' 

Fifthly,  Egypt  and  Ethiopia  are  mentioned  evidently  as  the 
great  nations  of  the  world,  then  occupying  the  most  prominent 
position. 

So  far,  then,  as  the  historical  allusions  of  the  Psalm  are  con- 
cerned, the  evidence  is  on  the  whole  in  favour  of  the  age  of 
David,  rather  than  of  a  much  later  period. 

I?i  Church. — In  the  Jewish  ritual  the  Psalm  is  used  at  Pente- 
cost— the  anniversary  of  the  giving  of  the  Law,  and  the  Feast 
of  Finished  Harvest."^ 

This  Psalm  is  appointed  for  use  on  Whitsun  Day— not  that 
the  primary  or  historical  element  is  to  be  lost  sight  of,  but  that 
it  should  only  be  remembered  so  far  as  it  represents  something 
higher  still.  It  is  no  longer  a  hymn  telling  how  God,  in  days 
of  old,  led  the  Jewish  Church,  as  in  a  triumphal  march,  from 
Sinai  to  Zion,  but  how  Christ,  having  founded  His  kingdom 
upon  earth,  is  preparing  it  now,  by  victory  over  the  opposing 
powers  of  sin  and  death,  for  the  great  consummation,  when, 

*  Kay  on  The  Psalms,  p.  204. 


288  PSALM-MOSAICS 

having  put  all  enemies  under  His  feet,  He  shall  gather  into 
one  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  and  as  a  mighty  victor  and 
triumphant  leader  He  shall  be  proclaimed  by  every  tongue  to 
be  '  King  of  kings '  and  '  Lord  of  lords.'* 

T/ie  Whole  Psahn. — In  rougher  days,  a  Psalm  once  did  much 
to  decide  the  fortune  of  a  battle.  In  1589,  Henri  IV.,  with  his 
little  army,  was  overtaken  by  the  host  of  JMayenne,  at  Arques, 
near  Dieppe.  His  forces  were  almost  crushed  by  the  weight  of 
superior  numbers.  The  Huguenots  of  Dieppe  had  only  been 
able  to  raise  two  strong  companies  to  help  their  champion. 
'  Come,  M.  le  Ministre,'  cried  the  King  to  Pastor  Damour, 
'  lift  the  Psalm.  It  is  full  time !'  Then,  over  all  the  din,  a 
cadence  marked  the  stately  tramp  of  the  strong  soldiers.  It 
was  the  68th  Psalm,  in  the  version  of  Clement  Marot,  set  to 
an  austere  melody. 

'  Que  Dieu  se  montre  seulement, 
Et  Ton  verra  soudainement 
Abandonner  la  place, 
Le  camp  des  ennemis  epars, 
Epouvanter  de  toutes  par, 
Fuir  devant  a  face  ; 
Dieu  les  fera  tous  enfuir.' 

Slowly  moving  on,  the  two  companies  split  the  army  of  the 
League  like  two  iron  wedges.  At  that  moment  the  fog,  which 
had  rolled  in  from  the  sea,  and  hung  over  a  castle  which  com- 
manded the  position,  cleared  away.  The  artillery-men  of 
Henri  could  take  aim.  The  swing  of  the  Psalm  was  timed  by 
the  long  roll  of  the  guns,  and  the  Leaguers  were  scattered. 
Strange  to  find  this  Psalm  playing  such  a  part  in  modern 
France,  and  again  at  the  Battle  of  Dunbar  (1650).  Over  the 
German  Ocean,  just  then,  bursts  the  first  gleam  of  the  level  sun 
upon  us,  '  and  I  heard  Nol  say,  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist : 
"  Let  God  arise,  let  His  enemies  be  scattered."  't 

Verses  i,  2.   Let  God  arise,  aiid  let  His  enemies  be  scattered, 

*  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  126. 

J  Carlyle's  Oliver  Cromwell,  vol.  iii.,  p.  49. 


PSALM  LXVIII.  289 

let  them  also  that  hate  Him  flee  before  Him.  Like  as  the  smoke 
vanisheth,  so  shalt  thou  drive  thejn  away  :  and  like  as  wax  melteih 
at  the  fire,  so  let  the  imgodly  perish  at  the  presence  of  God.—^i. 
Antony,  tempted  by  the  devil,  dwelt  in  an  empty  enclosure  in 
the  mountain-side.  '  Thus  he  passed  a  long  time  there  train- 
ing himself,  and  only  twice  a  year  received  loaves,  let  down 
from  above  through  the  roof.  But  those  of  his  acquaintance 
who  came  to  him,  as  they  often  remained  days  and  nights  out- 
side (for  he  did  not  allow  anyone  to  enter),  used  to  hear  as  it 
were  crowds  inside  clamouring,  thundering,  lamenting,  crying, 
"  Depart  from  our  ground  !  What  dost  thou  even  in  the 
desert  ?  Thou  canst  not  abide  our  onset !"  At  first,  those  that 
were  without  thought  that  there  were  some  men  fighting  with 
him,  and  that  they  had  got  in  by  ladders;  but  when,  peeping  in 
through  a  crack,  they  saw  no  one,  then  they  took  for  granted 
that  they  were  demons,  and,  being  terrified,  called  themselves 
on  St.  Antony.  But  he  rather  listened  to  them  than  cared  for 
the  others.  For  his  acquaintances  came  up  continually,  expect- 
ing to  find  him  dead,  and  heard  him  singing  :  "  Let  the  Lord 
arise ^  and  His  enemies  shall  be  scattered :  a?id  let  them  that  hate 
Him  flee  before  Him.  As  ivax  melts  before  the  face  of  the  fire, 
so  shall  sifiners  perish  from  before  the  face  of  God.'''''' 

Let  God  arise,  a? id  let  His  enemies  be  scattered. — Fra  Domenico 
da  Pescia,  a  monk  of  Savonarola's  convent,  offered  to  prove  the 
truth  of  his  master's  doctrines  by  passing  through  fire,  if  one 
of  his  opponents  would  undergo  the  same  ordeal,  in  defence 
of  their  opinions.  The  challenge  was  accepted  by  a  Franciscan 
monk,  and  Savonarola,  with  his  champion,  appeared  at  the 
head  of  a  large  procession  chanting  Psalm  Ixviii.,  '  Let  God 
arise,  and  let  His  enemies  be  scattered.^  The  Franciscan  also 
presented  himself;  the  fire  was  kindled,  and  Domenico  was 
ready  to  enter  the  flames,  bearing  the  Host  in  his  hands.  But 
the  crowd  exclaimed  against  this — a  sacrilege,  as  they  termed  it 
— and  as   Domenico  persisted  in  his  determination,  he  tlius 

*   The  Herfnits,  by  Charles  Kingsley,  p.  45. 

19 


290  PSALM-MOSAICS 

happily  escaped  the  ordeal  for  which  he  had  offered  himself. 
But  this  event  was  fatal  to  Savonarola.  The  people  loaded  him 
with  insults,  and  he  was  thrown  into  prison.* 

Ferse  4.  O  sing  unto  God,  and  sing  praises  unto  His  Na?ne  : 
niag7iify  Him  that  rideth  upon  the  heavens,  as  it  were  upon  an 
horse.— -The  sublime  passages  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  which 
the  attributes  of  man  or  of  angels  are  assigned  to  Almighty 
God,  as,  for  instance,  where  He  is  said  to  *  ride  upon  the 
heavens,'  Deut.  xxxiii.  26,  Psalm  Ixviii.  4  ;  or  'to  walk'  or  'fly 
upon  the  wings  of  the  wind,'  Psalm  civ.  3,  xviii.  10  ;  or  that 
'His  hand  is  not  shortened,'  Numbers  xi.  23,  Isaiah  1.  2, 
lix.  I  ;  might  expect  to  find  their  likenesses  in  Shakespeare, 
and  they  do  find  them  :  yet  so  softened  and  disguised  that  no 
comparison  which  might  suggest  thoughts  of  irreverence  is  pro- 
voked by  the  imitation. 

It  is  Romeo  who  thus,  from  Capulet's  garden,  addresses 
Juliet  at  her  window  : 

'  O  !  speak  again,  bright  angel,  for  thou  art 
As  glorious  to  this  night,  being  o'er  my  head, 
As  is  a  winged  messenger  of  Heaven 
Unto  the  white  upturned  wondering  eyes 
Of  mortals,  that  fall  back  to  gaze  on  him, 
When  he  besh-ides  the  lazy-pacing  clouds, 
And  sails  tip07i  the  bosom  of  the  air.^f 

Act  III.,  Sc.  ii. 

Verse  5.  He  is  a  Father  of  the  fatherless,  and  defendeth  the 
cause  of  the  widoivs :  eveji  God  i?i  His  holy  habitatiofi. — The 
tender  mercy  and  loving-kindness  of  the  Divine  Being,  more 
especially  towards  those  who  need  them  most,  are  exhibited  by 
our  poet,  again  and  again,  in  passages  which  represent  the 
teaching  of  Scripture  no  less  faithfully.  For  example  :  He  who 
'  is  a  Father  of  the  fatherless,  and  defendeth  the  cause  of  the 
widow,'  is  thus  described  in  King  Richard  II.  : 

*  Encyclopcsdia^  vol.  xii.,  p.  780. 
t  Shakespeaix  and  the  Bible,  p.  324. 


PSALM  LXVIIL  291' 

' I)7ic/iess.   Where  then,  alas  !  may  I  complain  myself? 
Gaimt.  To  Heaven— //z<?  Widoivs  Champion  and  Defe7ice  P* 

Act  I.,  vSc.  ii. 

Verse  6.  Be  is  the  God  that  maketh  men  to  be  of  one  mind 
in  an  house,  a?id  bringeth  the  prisoners  out  of  captivity  :  but  letteth 
the  runagates  co?itinue  in  scarceness. — Runagate  =  fugitive,  rebel, 
apostate  ;  French,  renegat. 

'  God  bringeth  the  prisoners  out  of  captivity,  but  letteth  the 
runagates  continue  in  scarceness  '  —  Prayer-Book  version  of 
this  verse,  where  the  Bible  has  '  the  rebellious.' 

'  I'll  send  to  one  in  Mantua, 
Where  that  same  banished  runagate  doth  live.'t 

Romeo  and  f  diet.  Act  III.,  Sc.  v. 

Verse  8.  The  earth  shook,  and  the  heavens  dropped  at  the  pre- 
sence of  God,  even  as  Sinai  also  was  moved  at  the  pi'eseiice  of 
God,  who  is  the  God  of  Israel. — Cf.  Homer,  X.,  xiii.  19,  20. 

' The  lofty  vionntains  nod. 

The  forests  shake,  earth  trembled  as  he  trod. 
And  felt  the  footsteps  of  the  immortal  God.' 

POPE.it 

Verse  11.  The  Lord  gave  the  word,  great  was  the  compa7iy  of 
the  preachers. — God  commands ;  His  commands  are  fulfilled, 
many  messengers  tell  of  their  fulfilment.  The  Church  adopts 
this  as  a  suitable  motto  for  Whitsunday.  § 

Verse  13.  Though  ye  have  lien  among  the  pots,  yet  shall  ye 
be  as  the  wings  of  a  dove :  that  is  covered  with  silver  wings,  and 
her  feathers  like  gold. — (See  also  on  Psalm  Ixxx.  and  xlv.) 
Archbishop  Wareham,  in  the  year  15 1 1,  made  a  visitation  of  his 
Diocese.  The  collegiate  church  of  Wingham  was  next  visited, 
after  a  sermon  from  a  text,  which  seems  rather  singularly 
chosen  for  the  occasion,    '  Though  ye  have  lien  among  the  pots, 

*  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  109. 

t  Ibid.,  p.  42. 

X  Mant,  p.  209. 

§  The  interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  285. 


292 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


yet  shall  ye  be  as  the  wings  of  a  dove,  that  is  covered  with  silver 
zvings,  and  has  feathers  like  gold,''  although,  as  several  of  the  houses 
of  the  canons  were  in  ruinous  condition,  and  called  for  injunc- 
tions to  repair  them  from  the  Archbishop,  there  would  seem  to 
be  some  grounds  for  the  selection  of  such  a  theme.  At  this 
visitation  one  or  two  suggestive  circumstances  are  noted.  None 
of  the  canons  resided  at  his  own  house  and  kept  his  own  table, 
which  was  contrary  to  their  statutes  ;  almost  all  the  houses 
were  in  a  state  of  disrepair  ;  several  canons  exhibited  letters  of 
orders  and  dispensations  which  '  were  nothing  to  the  purpose '; 
and  so  vv^ere  peremptorily  ordered  to  cease  from  performing 
service ;  others  appeared  as  pluralists  ;  others  complain  that 
the  benefices  which  they  ought  to  have  had  are  given  to 
strangers.  This  visitation  called  for  many  admonitions  of  the 
Archbishop."^ 

Miss  Whately  says  :  '  The  roofs  in  Egypt  are  usually  in  a 
great  state  of  litter,  and  were  it  not  that  Hasna,  the  seller  of 
Geeleh,  gets  a  palm  branch  and  makes  a  clearance  once  in  a 
while,  her  roof  would  assuredly  give  way  under  the  accumula 
tion  of  rubbish.  One  thing  never  seemed  cleared  away,  however, 
and  that  was  the  heaps  of  old  broken  pitchers,  sherds,  and 
pots,  that  in  these  and  similar  houses  are  piled  up  in  some 
corner ;  and  there  is  a  curious  observation  in  connection  with 
this.  A  little  before  sunset  numbers  of  pigeons  suddenly 
emerge  from  behind  the  pitchers  and  other  rubbish,  where 
they  have  been  sleeping  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  or  pecking 
about  to  find  food.  They  dart  upwards  and  career  through 
the  air  in  large  circles,  their  outspread  wings  catching  the 
bright  glow  of  the  sun's  slanting  rays,  so  that  they  really 
resemble  shining  "yellow  gold";  then,  as  they  wheel  round 
and  are  seen  against  the  light,  they  appear  as  if  turned  into 
molten  silver,  most  of  them  being  pure  white,  or  else  very 
light  coloured.  This  may  seem  fanciful,  but  the  effect  of 
light  in  these  regions    is    difficult   to  describe  to  those  who 

*  Diocesan  History  of  Canterbury,  p.  222. 


PSALM  LXVIII.  293 

have  not  seen  it,  and  evening  after  evening  we  watched 
the  circling  flight  of  the  doves,  and  always  observed  the  same 
appearance.  "  Though  ye  have  lien  among  the  pots,  yet  shall  ye 
he  as  the  wings  of  a  dove  covered  with  silver^  and  her  feathers 
with  yellow  gold''  (Psalm  Ixviii.  13).  It  was  beautiful  to  see 
these  birds  rising  clean  and  unsoiled,  as  doves  always  do,  from 
the  dust  and  dirt  in  which  they  had  been  hidden,  and  soaring 
aloft  in  the  sky  till  nearly  out  of  sight  among  the  bright  sunset 
clouds.  Thus  a  believer,  who  leaves  behind  him  the  corrup- 
tions of  the  world,  and  is  rendered  bright  by  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  shining  upon  his  soul,  rises  higher  and  higher, 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  light,  till,  lost  to  the  view  of  those  who 
stay  behind,  he  has  passed  into  the  unknown  brightness 
above  !'"^ 

Though  ye  have  lien  among  the  pots,  yet  shall  ye  be  as  the 
wiiigs  of  a  dove. — Sir  J.  J.  Coleridge  (his  biographer)  wrote  to 
Keble  asking  for  an  explanation  of  a  phrase,  October  18,  1865. 
'  Reading  St.  Bernard's  Sermons  on  the  Advent,  I  am  puzzled 
with  this  phrase  twice  occurring  :  He  is  speaking  of  our  Lord's 
two  advents  ;  he  urges  his  monks  to  ponder  how  much  He  has 
performed  in  the  one,  how  much  He  has  promised  in  the  other, 
and  then  says,  "  Utinam  certe  dormiatis  inter  medios  cleros. 
Hoec  sunt  enim  duo  brachia  Spousi ;  inter  qu^e  Spousa  dor- 
miens  aiebat.  Lccva  ejus  sub  capite  mes  et  dextera  ejus 
amplexabitur  me,"  and  goes  on  quoting  Cantic.  ii.  6.  And 
again,  "  Sint  ergo  si  dormire  volumus  inter  medios  cleros^  id  est 
duos  adventus,  penn^e  nostrae  deargentatae."  The  words 
"  medios  cleros  "  are  in  my  edition  printed  in  italics  as  a  quo- 
tation. Don't  trouble  yourself  about  this,  if  it  does  not  come 
into  your  head  at  once.' 

This  is  Keble's  answer  on  October  26  : 

' .  .  .  I  have  borrowed  a  St.  Bernard  from  the  Vicar  here, 
and  have  thought  over  your  question  as  well  as  I  could  with  the 
help  of  the  Bible,  the  LXX.,  and  Gesenium.     I  dare  say  you 

*  Ragged  Life  in  Egypt,  by  Miss  Whately. 


294  PSALM-MOSAICS 

have  long  ago  found  out  that  the  clause  is  from  the  Vulgate 
version  of  Psalm  68  (67),  v.  13  (14),  2i\-\dih.2it  inter  f/iedios  deros 
is  what  our  Bible  version  renders  "  among  the  pots,"  the  Vul- 
gate apparently  adopting  the  word  x/.^^pous  from  the  LXX. 
avaij.i(Tov  TM'  z7^y]poor.  So  the  question  is  how  the  LXX.  came 
to  translate  the  Hebrew  word,  which  we  render  "  pots,"  by 
"  lots  "  or  "  portions,"  and  the  phrase  "  between  the  portions  " 
somehow  led  my  mind  back  to  the  rite  of  dividing  victims 
offered  to  sanction  a  covenant,  as  in  Genesis  xv.  and 
Jeremiah  xxxiv.,  and  a  passing  between  the  portions  of  the 
victims.  Also  the  Hebrew  of  "  pots "  is  nearly  the  same  as 
that  rendered  "hooks"  in  Ezekiel  xl.  43,  where  plainly  some- 
thing is  meant  on  which,  or  by  means  of  which,  the  flesh  of  the 
offerings  for  sacrifice  was  deposited  on  each  side  of  certain 
entrances  to  the  Temple,  so  that  the  offerer  or  votary  going  in 
would  pass  between  the  hooks,  i.e.,  between  the  portions  of  the 
sacrifice  (our  translation  in  the  margin  there  says  "  or  endirons, 
on  the  two  hearth  stones  ").  The  mystical  meaning,  then,  of 
being  betiueen  these  portions  would  be  "being  under  a 
covenant  by  sacrifice  "  (Psalm  li.  5),  and  j/<?^////^ between  them, 
as  Abram  seems  to  have  done,  would  be  beitig  at  rest  in  that 
covenant,  for  which  purpose  we  must  be  sanctified  as  Christians, 
there  must  be  "  the  wings  of  a  dove,"  etc. 

'  I   wish  this  may  be   intelligible,  and   have   something  in 
it ;  at  any  rate  it  interested  me  greatly.'* 

The  wings  of  a  dove  that  is  covered  with  silver  wings. — 
Thomas  Dove,  Dean  of  Norwich,  and  one  of  Elizabeth's  chap- 
lains, succeeded  Howland  in  1600.  We  find  but  little  record 
of  him,  except  that  he  was  much  in  favour  with  the  Queen 
(Elizabeth),  who  called  him  her  dove  with  silver  wings.  He 
seems  to  have  been  sufficiently  strict  in  exacting  conformity 
from  his  clergy,  for  it  is  said  that  in  one  morning  he  suspended 
five  ministers  for  nonconformity,  to  which  King  James  said  it 
was  enough  to  serve  for  five  years,  f 

*  Kebles  Life,  p.  523.  f  Diocesan  History  of  Peterborough,  p.  207. 


PSALM  LXVIII.  295 

Mr.  Plumptre^  in  a  spirited  translation  of  this  Psalm,  has 

*  The  hosts  their  might  display, 
Like  silver  dove  with  wings  of  golden  glow.' 

Verse  14.  Whe7i  the  Almighty  scattered  kings  for  their  sake, 
theft  were  they  as  white  as  sfiow  i?i  Salmoji. — These  words  recall 
the  famous  '  x\lleluia  Battle/  when  the  Pictish  hosts  fled  before 
the  shout  uplifted  by  the  British  army,  as  it  stood  upon  the 
hills,  clad  in  the  white  chrisom-robe  of  baptism,  no  unfit  type 
of  those  armies  in  heaven,  which,  on  white  horses,  and  clothed 
in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean,  follow  Him  who  is  called 
Faithful  and  True.* 

Verse  17.  The  chariots  of  God  are  twenty  thousand,  even 
thousands  of  angels :  and  the  Lord  God  is  among  them,  as  in  the 
holy  place  of  Sinai. — This  description,  which  is  in  the  finest 
style  of  magnificence,  has  not  escaped  the  imitation  of  IMilton  : 

'  Attended  with  ten  thousand  thousand  saints, 
He  onward  came  ;  far  off  his  coming  shone, 
And  twenty  thousand  (I  their  number  heard) 
Chariots  of  God,  half  on  each  hand,  were  seen.'f 

And  again, 

'About  His  chariot  numberless  were  poured 
Cherub  and  seraph,  potentates  and  thrones, 
And  virtues,  winged  spirits,  and  chariots  winged. 
From  the  armoury  of  God,  where  stood  of  old 
Myriads. 't- 

Verse  18.  Thou  art  gotie  up  on  high,  Thou  hast  led  captivity 
captive,  a?id  received  gifts  for  men. 

'  Now  that  He  is  ascended  up  on  high 

To  His  celestial  throne, 
And  hath  led  captive  all  captivity. 
He'll  not  receive  alone. 

But  likewise  give 
Gifts  unto  all  that  live. 


*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  382. 
t  Paradise  Lost,  vii. 
X  Jbid.f  vii.  196. 


296  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'To  all  that  live  by  Him,  that  they  may  be, 
In  His  due  time,  each  one. 
Partakers  with  Him  in  His  victory, 
Nor  He  triumph  alone  ; 

But  take  all  His 
Unto  Him  where  He  is.'* 

T/ioii  hast  received  gifts  for  7neti ;  yea,  for  the  rebellious  also. 
— God's  gifts  are  for  the  rebellious  also.  I  am  a  rebel,  there- 
fore they  are  for  mQ.—Jo/m  Bu?iyafi. 

Verse  20.  He  is  our  God,  even  the  God  of  whom  cometh  sal- 
vatioii :  God  is  the  Lord,  by  whom  zve  escape  death. — Dr.  John 
Donne,  Dean  of  St.  Paul's,  was  one  of  the  Lent  preachers  at 
Court.  Izaak  Walton  gives  the  following  account  of  his  last 
sermon  :  '  He  was  appointed  to  preach  upon  his  old  constant 
day,  the  first  Friday  in  Lent ;  he  had  notice  of  it,  and  had  in 
his  sickness  so  prepared  for  that  employment,  that,  as  he  had 
long  thirsted  for  it,  so  he  resolved  his  weakness  should  not 
hinder  his  journey.  He  came  therefore  to  London  some  few 
days  before  his  appointed  day  of  preaching.  At  his  coming 
thither,  many  of  his  friends — who  with  sorrow  saw  his  sickness 
had  left  him  but  so  much  flesh  as  did  only  cover  his  bones — 
doubted  his  strength  to  perform  that  task,  and  did  therefore 
dissuade  him  from  undertaking  it,  assuring  him,  however,  it 
was  like  to  shorten  his  life ;  but  he  passionately  denied  their 
requests,  saying,  "he  would  not  doubt  that  that  God,  who  in  so 
many  weaknesses  had  assisted  him  with  an  unexpected  strength, 
would  now  withdraw  it  in  his  last  employment,  professing  an 
holy  ambition  to  perform  that  sacred  w^ork."  And  when,  to 
the  amazement  of  some  beholders,  he  appeared  in  the  pulpit, 
many  of  them  thought  he  presented  himself,  not  to  preach 
mortification  by  a  living  voice,  but  mortality  by  a  decayed  body, 
and  a  dying  face.  And  doubtless  many  did  secretly  ask  that 
question  in  Ezekiel,  "  Do  these  bones  live  ?  or.  Can  that  soul 
organize  that  tongue,  to  speak  so  long  time  as  the  sand  in  that 
glass  will  move  towards  its  centre,  and  measure  out  an  hour  of 

*  George  Herbert. 


PSALM  LXVIIL  297 

this  dying  man's  unspent  life  ?  Doubtless  it  cannot."  And 
yet,  after  some  faint  pauses  in  his  zealous  prayer,  his  strong 
desires  enabled  his  weak  body  to  discharge  his  memory  of  his 
preconceived  meditations,  which  were  of  dying  ;  the  text  being, 
"To  God  the  Lord  belong  the  issues  from  death."  Many 
that  then  saw  his  tears,  and  heard  his  faint  and  hollow  voice, 
professed  they  thought  the  text  prophetically  chosen,  and  that 
Dr.  Donne  had  preached  his  own  Funeral  Sermon.' 

This  discourse  was  printed  at  London  in  1633  in  quarto,  under 
the  quaint  title  of  '  Death's  Duel,  or  a  Consolation  to  the  soule 
against  the  Dying  Life  and  Living  Death  of  the  Body.'  The 
text  is  from  Psalm  Ixviii.  20.  It  is  the  last  discourse  in  the 
third  volume  of  Dr.  Donne's  Sermons. 

Being  full  of  joy  that  God  had  enabled  him  to  perform  this 
desired  duty,  he  hastened  to  his  house ;  out  of  which  he  never 
moved,  till,  like  St.  Stephen,  '  he  was  carried  by  devout  men  to 
his  grave. '"^ 

Verses  24  to  31.  It  is  well  seen,  O  God,  how  Thou  goest :  how 
Thou,  my  God  and  King,  goest  in  the  sa?ictuary.  .  .  .  Then 
shall  the  princes  come  out  of  Egypt :  the  Morians  land  shall  soon 
stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God. — It  is  well  known  how  the 
spectacle  of  the  solemn  majesty  of  Christian  worship  con- 
tributed to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  among  the  rude  nations 
of  Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages.t 

Verses  28,  29.  Stablish  the  thing,  O  God,  that  Thou  hast 
wrought  in  us.  For  Thy  Te7nple's  sake  at  Jerusalem.  —  In 
Confirmation  in  the  Roman  Church  these  words  are  used  when 
the  Bishop  cleanses  his  hands  from  the  o\\.\ 

Verse  31.  Then  shall  the  princes  come  out  of  Egypt.— T\i^ 
Vulgate  reads,  ambassadors  shall  come.  They  tell  a  legend, 
how  that  Philo  of  Alexandria,  sent  on  a  mission  to  the  court  of 

*  Izaak  Walton's  Lives,  pp.  70,  71. 

t  Thrupp  on  The  Psalms,  vol.  i.,  p.  37 1- 

X  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  268. 


298  PSALM-MOSAICS 

the  Emperor  Caius,  met  St.  Peter  in  Rome,  and  learnt  from 
him  the  Faith,  which  he  then  followed  in  his  country,  under 
the  guidance  of  St.  Mark,  thus  fulfilling  the  prophecy.* 

Verse  34.  Ascribe  ye  the  power  to  God  over  Israel. 

'  Ascribes  the  glory  of  his  conquest  got, 
First  to  my  God,  and  next  unto  your  grace.' 

First  Part  of  Henry  VI.,  Act  III.,  Sc.  iv. 

The  Prayer-Book  version  of  Psalm  Ixviii.  34  is,  '  Ascribe  ye 
the  power  to  God  over  Israel.'  The  Vulgate  (Ixvii.  35)  is  : 
'  Date  gloriam  Deo  super  Israel.'  It  is  not  very  likely  that 
Shakespeare  w^ould  of  himself  translated  'date'  by  'ascribe'; 
it  is  probable,  therefore,  tha  he  either  took  'Ascribe  the  glory' 
directly  from  a  version  containing  these  words,  or  else  that  he 
had  a  mixed  remembrance  of  the  verse  as  it  occurs  both  in  a 
version  containing  '  ascribe  '  and  in  the  Vulgate. 


PSALM  LXIX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  out  of  the  depth  of  affliction 
borne  for  the  sake  of  the  truth. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Lily  among  thorns  ;  the  Lily  of  the 
valley,  fair  and  beautiful,  blooming  in  the  garden  of  Geth- 
semane. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — literally  when  Sheba 
the  son  of  Bichri  sounded  a  trumpet,  and  the  people  desisted 
from  following  after  David  ;  understood  also  to  be  a  prophecy 
concerning  those  things  that  the  Messiah  suffered,  and  con- 
cerning the  reprobation  of  the  Jews. 

Origin  (Perowne). — When  and  by  whom  this  Psalm  was 
written  we  have  no  very  certain  clue  to  guide  us ;  unless, 
indeed,  we  are  disposed  to  accept  the  authority  of  the  inscrip- 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary .^  vol.  ii.,  p.  393. 


PSALM  LXIX.  299 

tion,  which  tells  us  it  was  written  by  David.  All  that  is  certain 
from  the  general  tenor  of  the  Psalm  is  that  it  was  written 
under  circumstances  of  great  and  unmerited  suffering,  by  one 
who  was  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake.  .  .  .  Yet  if  any 
inference  can  be  drawn  from  the  style  and  language,  if  criticism 
had  any  testing  power,  it  would  hardly  be  too  much  to  say  that 
this  Psalm  could  not  have  been  written  by  David.  Moreover, 
to  what  possible  circumstances  in  David's  life  could  verses  11, 
12,  and  21  refer,  or  what  meaning  could  verse  35  have  in  his 
mouth  ?  The  fact  that  it  is  cited  as  his  in  Romans  xi.  9  proves 
nothing,  for  '  David  '  there  means  nothing  more  than  the  Book 
of  Psalms. 


I?i  Church. — This  Psalm  is  a  Passion  Psalm  appointed  for 
use  on  Good  Friday.  It  is  evidently  so  appointed  because  it 
is  eminently  Messianic  in  character,  the  sufferings  of  the 
prophet  being  in  so  signal  a  degree  typical  of  those  which  in 
after-ages  were  inflicted  upon  Him  who  bore  our  griefs  and 
carried  our  sorrows. 

In  the  Sarum  use  and  Latin  use  it  is  appointed  for  the  Eve  of 
Christ's  Passion  (Maundy  Thursday),  as  are  also  the  next  eight 
Psalms,  viz..  Psalms  69,  jo-jj* 

The  Whole  Psalm.— Th^r^  is  no  portion  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Scriptures  more  frequently  quoted  in  the  New,  with  the 
exception  of  Psalm  xxii.,  than  this. 

Obs.  I.  Verses  4  and  7  are  applied  to  our  Lord  in  St.  John 
ii.  17,  XV.  25  ;  Romans  xv.  3  ;  verse  25  to  Judas  in  Acts  i.  20; 
verses  22  and  23  to  the  Jews  in  Romans  xi.  9,  10. 

Obs.  II.  When  St.  John  quotes  the  account  of  our  Lord's 
Jirst  Purification  of  the  Temple  he  refers  to  verse  9.  Shortly 
after  His  secojtd  Purification  of  it  our  Lord  Himself  uses 
language  which  seems  to  refer  to  verse  25. 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commaitary.,  p.  105. 


300  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  2.  I  a?n  come  into  deep  waters^  so  that  the  floods  run 
over  me.  —  St.  Gregory  the  Great  was  very  reluctant  to  be 
appointed  Pope  :  he  wished  to  remain  in  his  monastery,  the 
one,  dedicated  to  St.  Andrew,  which  he  had  founded  on  the  site 
of  his  own  house,  near  the  Church  of  St.  John  and  St.  Paul  at 
Rome,  in  which  he  himself  had  become  a  monk  and  abbot. 
He  used  various  artifices  to  escape  election.  No  election  of  a 
Pope  could  at  this  time  take  effect  without  the  Emperor's  con- 
firmation, and  an  embassy  had  to  be  sent  to  Constantinople  to 
obtain  it.  Gregory  therefore  sent  at  the  same  time  a  letter  to 
the  Emperor  (Mauricius),  imploring  him  to  withhold  his  con- 
firmation ;  but  it  was  intercepted  by  the  prefect  of  the  city,  and 
another  from  the  clergy,  senate,  and  people  sent  in  its  place, 
entreating  approval  of  their  choice.  At  length  the  imperial 
confirmation  of  his  election  arrived.  He  still  refused,  fled  from 
the  city  in  disguise,  eluding  the  guards  set  to  watch  the  gates, 
and  hid  himself  in  a  forest  cave.  Pursued  and  discovered  by 
means,  it  is  said,  of  a  supernatural  light,  he  was  brought  back 
in  triumph,  conducted  to  the  Church  of  St.  Peter,  and  at  once 
ordained,  on  the  3rd  of  September,  590. 

This  reluctance  was  real,  for  five  letters  remain  written  by 
him  soon  after  his  accession,  in  which  he  expresses  his  feelings 
on  the  occasion.  In  one  addressed  to  Theoctista,  the  Emperor's 
sister,  he  says  :  '  Under  the  colour  of  the  episcopate  I  have 
been  brought  back  to  the  world ;  I  am  enslaved  to  greater 
earthly  cares  than  I  ever  remember  to  have  been  subjected  as 
a  layman.  For  I  have  lost  the  joys  of  my  rest,  and  seem  to 
have  risen  outwardly,  while  inwardly  I  have  fallen.  I  lament 
that  I  am  driven  far  away  from  my  Maker's  face.  For  I  used 
to  strive  to  live  daily  outside  the  world,  outside  the  flesh  ;  to 
drive  from  the  eyes  of  the  mind  all  phantasms  of  the  body,  and 
incorporeally  to  see  supernal  joys.  .  .  .  But  now,  driven  from 
the  eminence  by  the  whirlwind  of  this  temptation,  I  have  fallen 
into  fears  and  tremblings  ;  though  I  fear  nothing  for  myself,  I 
am  greatly  afraid  for  those  who  have  been  committed  to  me. 
On  all  sides  am  I  tossed  by  the  waves  of  business,  and  pressed 


PSALM  LXIX. 


301 


down  by  storms,  so  that  I  can  say  with  truth,  ''lam  come  into 
waters,  where  the  floods  overflow  ;//^ '"  (Psalm  Ixix.  2)."^ 


The  floods  rim  over  me. — The  word  flood  in  these  two  verses 
is  the  well-known  Shibboleth,  which  the  Ephraimites  were 
unable  to  pronounce  (Jud.  xii.  6).  It  occurs  again  in  Isaiah 
xxvii.  12,  '  flood  of  the  river.'t 

Verse  3.  My  throat  is  dry  ;  my  sight  faileth  me  for  waiting  so 
long  upon  my  God. 

'  How  fast  His  hands  and  feet  are  nailed  ! 
His  blessed  tongue  with  thirst  is  tied  ; 
His  failing  eyes  are  blind  with  blood ; 
Jesus,  our  Love,  is  crucified. 'J 

Verses  7  and  ^.  For  Thy  sake  have  I  suffered  reproof :  shame 
hath  covered  my  face. 

I  am  become  a  stranger  unto  my  brethren^  even  an  alie?t  unto 
my  mother's  children. 

Madame  Guyon  left  Thonon  for  Turin,  after  going  tlirough 
great  persecutions.  She  had  to  cross  the  Alpine  pass  of  Mont 
Cenis.  A  journey  along  frightful  precipices  and  over  mountains 
piled  to  the  cloads,  accompanied,  too,  by  this  reflection,  that 
those  who  were  prosecuting  it  had  no  home,  no  resting-place, 
must  have  been  exceedingly  trying  to  anyone  whose  mind  was 
not  sustained  by  strong  faith.  '  The  words,'  she  says,  '  which 
are  found  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  were  deeply  impressed 
upon  my  mind — "The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the 
air  have  nests,  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His 
head."  This  I  have  since  experienced  in  all  its  extent,  having 
no  sure  abode,  no  refuge  among  my  friends,  who  were  ashamed 
of  me,  and  openly  renounced  me  at  the  time  when  there  was  a 
great  and  general  outcry  against  me  ;  nor  amongst  my  relations, 
the  most  of  whom  declared  themselves  my  adversaries  and  were 
my  greatest  persecutors  ;  whilst  others  looked  on  me  with  con- 

*  Fathers  of  the  English  Chtcrch  :  Gregory  the  Great,  p.  42. 
t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne. 
:J:  Frederick  William  Faber. 


302  PSALM-MOSAICS 

tempt  and  indignation.  My  state  began  to  be  like  that  of  Job, 
when  he  was  left  of  all ;  or  perhaps  I  might  say  with  David  : 
"  I^or  Thy  sake  I  have  borne  reproach  ;  shame  hath  covered  viy 
face.  I  am  heco7ne  a  stra?iger  to  my  brethren^  and  an  alien  imto 
7ny  jnothers  children  " — a  reproach  to  men,  and  despised  of  the 
people.'"* 

Verse  7.  For  Thy  sake  have  I  siiffered  reproof ;  shame  hath 
covered  my  face. 

'  He  reigns  below  ;  He  reigns  alone, 
And  having  life  in  love  foregone 
Beneath  the  crown  of  sovran  thorns, 
He  reigns  the  jealous  God.     Who  mourns 
Or  rules  with  Him,  while  days  go  on? 

'  By  anguish  which  made  pale  the  sun, 
I  heard  Him  charge  His  saints  that  none 
Among  His  creatures  anywhere 
Blaspheme  against  Tlim  with  despair, 
However  darkly  days  go  on.'t 

Verse  9.  The  zeal  of  Thifie  house  hath  even  eaten  me. — When 
one  desired  to  know  what  kind  of  man  Basil  was,  there  was 
presented  to  him  in  a  dream,  saith  the  history,  a  pillar  of  fire, 
with  this  motto,  Talis  est  Basilius.  Basil  is  such  a  one ;  he  is 
all  on  a-light  fire  for  G0D.I: 

TJie  rebukes  of  them  that  rebuked  Thee  a7-e  falle7i  o?i  me. — It 
was  a  brave  speech  of  Ambrose.  '  He  wished  it  would  please 
God  to  turn  all  the  adversaries  from  the  Church  upon  himself, 
and  let  them  satisfy  their  thirst  with  his  blood.' 

i\nd  so  Nazianzen,  when  contention  rose  about  him,  says 
he  :  '  Cast  me  into  the  sea,  let  me  lose  my  place,  rather  than 
the  name  of  Christ  should  suffer  for  me.'§ 

Verse  12.    TJie  drunkards  make  songs  against  me. — Not  only 

*  Life  of  Madaj7ie  Guvoi,  p.  209. 
t   Elizabeth  Ban  eti  Browtiing. 
X  Thomas  Brooks. 
§  Jeremiah  Burroughs. 


PSALM  LXIX.  303 

was  the  Arian  heresy  encouraged  by  the  chiefs  of  the  State,  but 
the  ribald  songs  of  the  heresiarch's  own  Thalia,  directed 
against  the  Consubstantial,  were  trolled  in  the  wine-shops  of 
Alexandria.* 

Archbishop  Land  was  now  under  the  special  surveillance 
of  a  mixed  mob  of  Brownists,  Anabaptists,  and  London 
apprentices,  who  invariably  accompanied  him  to  and  from 
the  'Tower,  saw  him  enter  Westminster  Hall  for  his  day's 
trial,  and  saw  him  safe  in  the  Tower  gates  again,'  and  an  im- 
pertinent, staring,  multitudinous  eye  seemed  always  upon  him ; 
a  specimen  of  an  unwelcome,  uncongenial  companionship, 
which  almost  reminds  one  of  some  of  the  poet's  punish- 
ments in  the  infernal  regions— those  curious  inflictions  which 
are  made  expressly  to  fit  the  individuals  themselves. 

The  Danaid^e  had  their  buckets,  and  Sisyphus  his  large  stone, 
and  Laud  his  mob.  Libels  and  ballads  against  him  were  sung 
up  and  down  the  streets,  with  pictures  of  him  in  a  cage,  and 
'  fastened  to  a  post  by  a  chain.'  They  enlivened  taverns  and 
alehouses,  and  the  '  dnmkards  made  songs  upon  nie^  he  says. 
'  God,  of  His  mercy,  forgive  the  misguided  people  !'t 

It  is  a  touching  anecdote  which  is  told  of  the  late  Sir 
Andreiv  Agnew,  whose  exertions  for  God's  Sabbaths,  once 
reviled  and  scoffed  at,  are  now  honoured  and  acknow- 
ledged. He  felt  deeply  the  taunts  and  revilings  and  the 
jeers  to  which  his  efforts  exposed  him;  his  very  name  was 
a  by-word  among  the  ungodly,  and  he  was  literally  the 
song  of  the  drunkards  in  the  streets.  One  morning,  as 
he  was  sitting  in  his  room  in  some  street  in  London,  he 
heard  some  ribald  songster  making  foul  mention  of  his  name 
under  his  window.  The  iron  entered  into  his  soul,  and  he 
almost  instinctively  opened  his  Bible,  to  close,  if  possible,  his 
ear  and  heart  against  the  sound  ;  it  opened  at  this  very  Psalm, 
and  his  eye,  as  if  guided,  caught  this  very  verse  :  '  They  that  sit 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  405- . 

t  Mozley's  Essays:  Archbishop  Laud,  vol.  1.,  p.  212. 


304  PSALM.MOSAICS 

in  the  gate  speak  against  7ne,  and  the  dru7ikards  make  so?igs  upon 
me.^* 

Verse  13.  Lord^  I  make  my  prayer  imto  Thee  in  an  acceptable 

time. 

'  Heavier  the  cross,  the  heartier  prayer  ; 
The  bruised  herbs  most  fragrant  are. 
If  sky  and  wind  were  always  fair, 

The  sailor  would  not  watch  the  star  ; 

And  David's  Psalms  had  ne'er  been  sung 
If  grief  his  heart  had  never  wrung. 't 

Verse  21.    Thy  rebuke  hath  broken  my  heart. 

'  The  grief  that  does  not  speak 
Whispers  the  o'er-fraught  heart,  and  bids  it  break.' 

I  looked  for  some  to  have  pity  upon  me. — '  Pity  ' — '  sympathy.' 
This  is  the  only  place  in  the  Psalter  where  the  word  is  found. 
The  word  '  sympathy '  has  nowhere  been  employed  by  our  trans- 
lators, but  it  exactly  conveys  the  force  of  the  Hebrew  word, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  used  of  sympathy  in  joy  as  well  as  in  sorrow  : 
see  Job  xlii.  1 1,  where  our  version  renders,  '  and  they  bemoaned 
him' — 'and  they  sympathized  with  him'  would  have  been 
better.  They  would  not  bemoan  him  on  his  restoration  to 
health  and  prosperity.  This  word  also  is  used  several  times  by 
Jeremiah  (xv.  5,  xvi.  5,  xlviii.  17).  J 

Verse  24.  Let  their  eyes  be  blinded  that  they  see  not^  and  ever 
bow  Thou  down  their  backs. — Blinded  to  the  true  meaning  of 
Scripture,  boived  doicn  under  the  weight  of  the  Law.  And  St. 
Augustine  (Serm.  de  Temp.)  compares  the  attitude  of  Jews  and 
Christians  towards  the  truth  to  the  spies  carrying  the  grapes  on 
the  pole.  The  Jews  go  first,  counting  themselves  to  have  the 
pre-eminence,  but  not  seeing  the  precious  freight,  and  even 
turning  their  backs  upon  it;  while  the  Christian,  coming 
behind,  beholds  and  worships. 

*  Daily  Comviefi/s  on  the  Psalms,  by  B.  Bouchier,  vol.  i.,  p.  446. 

t  From  the  German. 

X   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  446. 


PSALM  LXTX.  305 

'They  who  were  grace-expectant,  they  who  lived  and  died  in  grace, 
They  who  saw  Christ  far  off,  and  they  who  see,  though  veiled,  His  face— 
Those  went  before  :  these  follow,  they  are  all  one  brotherhood, 
And  in  the  midst  the  True  Vine  hangs  upon  the  Holy  Rood.' 

A.  M.  Morgan:    7Vie  True  Vine.* 

Verse  32.  This  also  shall  please  the  Lord,  better  than  a  bullock 
that  hath  horns  a7id  hoofs. — Here  the  Lord  puts  dishonour 
upon  mere  outward  offerings  by  speaking  of  the  horns  and 
hoofs,  the  offal  of  the  victim.  The  cpns  operatnm,  which  our 
rituahsts  think  so  much  of,  the  Lord  puffs  at.  The  horning 
and  hoofing  are  nothing  to  Him,  though  to  Jewish  rituahsts 
these  were  great  points,  and  matters  for  critical  examination. 
Our  modern  Rabbis  are  just  as  precise  as  to  the  mingling  of 
water  with  their  wine,  the  baking  of  their  wafers,  the  cut  of 
their  vestments,  and  the  performance  of  genuflections  towards 
the  right  quarter  of  the  compass.  O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart 
to  perceive  all  that  the  Lord  hath  declared.  '  Offer  unto  God 
thanksgiving '  is  the  everlasting  rubric  of  the  true  directory  of 
worship,  t 

True,  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  yet  only  part  of  the  truth.  How 
loving  in  contrast  is  the  exposition  of  Dr.  Neale,  who  sees  in 
this  verse,  'the  oblation  of  the  Gospel,  the  most  Holy  Eucharist, 
dearer  to  God  than  all  sacrifice  besides. 

'  Therefore  we,  before  It  bending, 

This  great  Sacrament  adore  ; 
Types  and  shadows  have  their  ending 

In  the  new  rite  evermore  ; 
Faith,  our  outward  sense  amending, 
Maketh  good  defects  before. '^ 

PSALM  LXX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Cry  of  a  persecuted  one  for  help. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David;  literally  when  he  sent 
Joab  to  seize  Sheba,  who  had  rebelled,  and  secondarily,  the 
suppHcations  of  the  righteous  and  of  the  Messiah. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  410. 
f    The  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  iii.,  p.  269. 
X  Dr.  Neale's  Couiviejitary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  415. 


3o6  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  a  repetition,  with  some 
variations,  of  the  last  five  verses  of  Psalm  xl.  .  .  .  I  see  no 
reason  to  abandon  the  opinion  which  I  have  expressed  in  the 
note  on  Psalm  xl.  13 — that  this  Psalm  formed  originally  a  part 
of  Psalm  xl.,  and  was  subsequently  detached  and  altered  for  a 
special  occasion. 

I?i  CJwrch. — This  Psalm  is  the  3rd  Psalm  of  the  Mesorion 
of  the  6th  Hour.  It  is  also  used  in  the  late  Evensong  and  in 
the  Greek  Office  for  the  Dying.* 

This  Psalm  is,  with  but  very  slight  variations,  merely  a 
repetition  of  Psalm  xl.  16  to  the  end.  But  the  first  verse  is 
noticeable  as  being  oftener  recited  in  the  Western  Church  than 
any  other  part  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  Versicle  and 
Response,  '  O  God,  make  speed  to  save  me,'  '  O  Lord,  make 
haste  to  help  me,'  which  are  prefixed  to  the  offices  of  all  the 
Canonical  Hours,  and  which  are  retained  in  the  plural,  by  the 
Anglican  Matins  and  Evensong,  are  taken  from  it. 

On  this  usage  let  us  hear  Dionysius  the  Carthusian  (a.d.  147  i)  : 
*  Great  and  wonderful  is  the  virtue  of  the  first  verse  of  the 
present  Psalm,  wherefore  rightly  hath  our  mother,  the  Church, 
instructed  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  appointed  that  this  verse 
should  be  recited  at  the  beginning  or  near  the  beginning  of 
each  of  the  Hours,  so  that,  protected  by  the  shield  of  the 
Divine  assistance,  we  may  escape  all  the  snares  of  the  enemy, 
who  plots  against  us  more  wickedly  when  we  are  engaged  in 
beginning  Divine  Service.'! 

PSALM  LXXL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  of  a  gray-headed  servant  of 
God  for  further  Divine  aid. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Prayer  of  the  Aged  Believer. 
Contents  (Syriac). — Composed    by  David,   when    Saul  was 

*  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  267. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Connneniary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  420. 


PSALM  LXXI.  307 

fighting  with  the  House  of  David — also  a  prophecy  concerning 
the  Passion  and  the  Resurrection  of  the  Messiah. 

Origiji  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  without  any  Inscription  in 
the  Hebrew.  In  the  LXX.  its  title  is  '  (A  Psalm)  of  David,  of 
the  sons  of  Jonadab,  and  of  those  who  were  first  led  captive,'  a 
curiously  composite  title,  which  contains  a  contradiction  in 
itself.  It  may,  however,  have  been  intended  to  denote  that,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  translators,  the  Psalm  was  Davidic  in  origin, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  to  record  his  tradition  that  it  was  a 
favourite  Psalm  with  the  Rechabites  and  the  earlier  exiles.  On 
two  points  only  do  we  gather  any  certain  information  from  the 
Psalm  itself.  First,  it  is  evident  that  it  was  written  by  one 
already  past  the  meridian  of  life  and  verging  upon  old  age. 
And,  secondly,  it  borrows  so  largely  from  other  Psalms — the 
22nd,  31st,  35th,  and  40th,  some  of  them  probably  Psalms 
written  long  after  the  time  of  David — that  it  must  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  later  specimens  of  Hebrew  poetry.  Other  evidence 
of  an  internal  kind  renders  it  not  improbable  that  the  Psalm 
was  written  by  Jeremiah.  It  would  apply  obviously  to  his 
circumstances.  ...  All  this  falls  in  very  well  with  the  tradition 
which  has  been  preserved  by  the  LXX.  A  Psalm  written  by 
Jeremiah  would  very  naturally  have  a  peculiar  value  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Rechabites,  whom  the  prophet  mentions  so  honourably, 
and  in  the  eyes  of  the  first  exiles,  who  had  so  often  listened 
to  the  words  of  his  lips. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm,  with  the  exception  of  the  five  last 
verses,  which  are  omitted  for  obvious  reasons,  is  used  in  the 
Order  for  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick.  Especially  is  its  appro- 
priateness felt  when  suffering  or  aged  ;  but  for  all,  in  time  of 
weakness  and  pain,  is  there  new  and  deeper  meaning  in  the 
words,  '  Forsake  me  not,  when  my  strength  faileth.' 

'  Go  not  far  from  me,  O  GoD, 
My  God,  haste  Thee  to  help  me.'* 


*  Housman  on  The  Psalms^  p.  132. 


3o8  PSALM-MOSAICS 

In  the  Sariim  Manual  this  Psalm  and  the  Anthem  following 
it  commenced  the  Office  of  Extreme  Unction."^ 

The  07ie  Prayer-Book  Antiphon.  —  T\\^x&  is  one  class  of  these 
Psalms  which  has  in  later  times  been  generally  termed  sub- 
iectively  JNIessianic,  i.e.,  in  which  the  suffering  or  glorified 
Saviour  is  Himself  the  Speaker.  The  Ancient  Church  believed 
that  such  Psalms  are  numerous.  It  cannot  fairly  be  doubted 
by  those  who  receive  Holy  Scripture,  and  reason  consistently 
from  it,  that  four  at  least,  if  not  five,  are  pointed  out  in  the 
New  Testament  to  be  such — the  i6th,  22nd,  40th,  69th,  and 
perhaps  the  109th.  Many  others  (pre-eminently  the  23rd, 
28th,  30th,  35th,  71st,  1 20th,  and  the  142nd)  have  been  gene- 
rally received  b)  the  Church  in  this  sense  until  recent  times. 
This  is  so  interpreted  by  our  Church  in  the  one  Antiphon 
preserved  in  the  Prayer-Book,  that  at  the  end  of  the  71st  Psalm 
in  the  service  for  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick  :  '  O  Saviour  of 
the  world,  who  by  Thy  cross  and  precious  Blood  hast  redeemed 
us,  Save  us  and  help  us,  we  humbly  beseech  Thee,  O  Lord  !' 
This  shows  that  the  voice  which  wails  through  that  Psalm  is 
believed  by  the  Church  to  be  the  Voice  of  the  '  Saviour  of  the 
AVorld.'t 

Verse  i.  /;/  Thee.,  O  Lord,  have  I  put  my  trust. — The  last 
words  of  Cardinal  Ximenes  were,  'In  te  Domine  speravi.' 

Verse  2.  Thou  art  my  hope^  even  from  my  youth. — The  good 
Bishop  loved  his  mother,  and  dehghted  to  visit  her  haunts,  one 
of  these  near  St.  Francis  in  the  Bauges — 'the  first  parish  his 
uncle  held,  and  to  which  his  mother  had  gone  the  year  after 
his  reception  at  the  French  Academy,  when  he  had  attained  the 
highest  summit  of  honour  and  renown.  With  a  feeling  of  the 
profoundest  humility,  he  felt  anxious  to  go  and  see  the  place 
and  revive  the  recollection  of  it  in  his  heart. 

*  Interleaved  F?-aye)  -Book,  p.  209. 

t    The  IViincss  of  (he  Fsalms  to  Christ  and  Chj'istianity,  pp.  33,  34. 


PSALM  LXXI. 


309 


'At  last  I  saw  St.  Francis,  the  church,  and  the  presbytery. 
Poor  mother  !  what  past  recollections  !  She  went  there  seven- 
and-forty  years  ago  for  the  last  time,  to  take  leave  of  her  uncle. 
Her  leaving  for  Paris  must  have  been  sad  for  him ;  but  God 
had  His  designs,  and  led  me  whither  He  would — to  Saint 
Sulpice — for  my  first  communion,  and  what  followed.  I  said 
my  office  in  this  spot  with  great  and  deep  happiness,  praying 
for  those  through  whose  means  God  first  sent  me  His  good 
gifts. 

'  Doviine  spes  niea  a  juveiitiite  med.  How  true  it  is  !  /;/  te 
cantatio  mea  se7nper.  So  indeed  it  ought  to  be.  Ego  sum 
vermis  et  iion  homo  et  abjectis  plebis.  That  was  my  condition, 
but  ...  In  te  projedus  sum  ex  utero.  Then,  having  said 
these  beautiful  words,  I  began  the  office  of  St.  Euverte,  my 
holy  predecessor.  What  a  miracle  !  what  an  incredible  trans- 
formation !  Elegit  ipsum  Dominus  ab  omni  vivente..  What  an 
election  was  mine  ! 

*  Then,  after  a  quiet  breakfast  in  the  beloved  dwelling  of  the 
priest  at  St.  Francois,  I  went  down  the  road  which  my  mother 
took.  It  was  quite  easily  traceable.  I  went  alone  with  my 
own  thoughts,  with  God,  and  with  my  poor  mother.'* 

Verse  8.  Cast  me  not  away  i?i  the  time  of  age :  forsake  me  jwt 
when  my  strength  faileth  me. — I  would  say,  if  I  may  so  speak, 
that  this  Psalm  is  especially  the  old  man's  Psalm  ;  at  least,  I 
can  easily  believe  that  no  religious  old  man  can  ever  read,  or 
hear  read,  this  verse  :  '  Cast  me  not  away  in  the  time  of  age  ; 
forsake  me  not  when  my  strength  faileth  me ';  or  that  later 
one  in  this  same  Psalm  :  '  Forsake  me  not,  O  God,  in  my  old 
age,  when  I  am  gray-headed,'  without  feeling  his  heart  melting 
into  tenderness  at  the  love  of  God  in  having  permitted  His 
servant  David  to  indite,  and  His  Holy  Spirit  to  preserve,  such 
sweet  and  appropriate  prayers  and  memorials  for  the  Lord's 
kindness,  for  that  season  when  His  servants  have  become  'old 
and  gray-headed. 't 

*  Life  of  Mgr.  Dupanloup  of  Orleans,  vol.  ii.,  p.  189. 
t  Daily  Commenis  on  the  Fsalins,  by  B.  Bouchier,  y.  460. 


3IO  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Forsake  me  not  when  my  stre?igth  faileth  me. — These  are  the 
last  words  of  George  Herbert.  '  I  am  now  ready  to  die.'  After 
which  words  he  said,  '  Lord,  forsake  me  7iot  now  my  strength 
faileth  me :  but  grant  me  mercy  for  the  merits  of  my  Jesus. 
And  now,  Lord — Lord,  now  receive  my  soul.'  And  with 
those  words  he  breathed  forth  his  divine  soul,  without  any 
apparent  disturbance.  Thus  he  lived,  and  thus  he  died,  like  a 
saint,  unspotted  of  the  world,  full  of  alms-deeds,  full  of 
humility,  and  all  the  example  of  a  virtuous  life ;  which  I  cannot 
conclude  better  than  with  this  borrowed  observation 

'  All  must  to  their  cold  graves  ; 
But  the  religious  actions  of  the  just 
Smell  sweet  in  death,  and  blossom  in  the  dust.'* 

Dr.  Robert  Sanderson,  at  one  time  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  after 
taking  his  bed,  and  about  a  day  before  his  death,  desired  his 
chaplain,  Mr.  PuUin,  to  give  him  absolution ;  and  at  his  per- 
forming that  office,  he  pulled  off  his  cap,  that  Mr.  Pullin  might 
lay  his  hand  upon  his  bare  head.  After  this  desire  of  his  was 
satisfied,  his  body  seemed  to  be  at  more  ease,  and  his  mind 
more  cheerful,  and  he  said,  '  Lord,  forsake  me  not,  now  niy 
stre7igth  faileth  me  ;  but  continue  Thy  mercy,  and  let  my  mouth 
be  filled  with  Thy  praise.'  He  continued  the  remaining  night 
and  day  very  patient,  and  thankful  for  any  of  the  little  offices 
that  were  performed  for  his  ease  and  refreshment ;  and  during 
that  time  did  often  say  the  103rd  Psalm  to  himself,  and  very 
often  these  words  :  '  My  heart  is  fixed,  O  God  !  my  heart  is 
fixed  where  true  joy  is  to  be  found.'  His  thoughts  seemed 
now  to  be  wholly  of  death,  for  which  he  was  so  prepared  that 
the  King  of  Terrors  could  not  surprise  him  as  a  thief  in  the 
night ;  for  he  had  often  said  he  was  prepared,  and  longed  for 
it.  And  as  this  desire  seemed  to  come  from  heaven,  so  it  left 
him  not,  till  his  soul  ascended  to  that  region  of  blessed  spirits, 
whose  employments  are  to  join  in  concert  with  hiui,  and  sing 
praise  and  glory  to  that  God  who  hath  brought  them  to  that 

*  Izaak  Walton'' s  Lives,  p.  321. 


PSALM  LXXI.  311 

place,  into  which  sin  and  sorrow  cannot  enter.  Thus  this 
pattern  ot  meekness  and  innocence  changed  this  for  a  better 
life. 

'Tis  now  too  late  to  wish  that  my  Ufe  might  be  like  his,  for  I 
am  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  my  age ;  but  I  humbly  beseech 
Almighty  God  that  my  death  may,  and  do  as  earnestly  beg  of 
every  Reader  to  say — Amen.  Blessed  is  the  man  in  whose 
spirit  there  is  no  guile  (Psalm  xxxii.  2).'* 

Verse  14.  I  will  go  forth  ift  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God. — 
On  the  news  of  his  being  definitely  appointed  Bishop  of  Lincoln, 
which  came  on  a  Sunday,  Bishop  Wordsworth  gathered  his 
family  about  him,  as  was  his  wont,  to  pray  for  'Southwell 
Minster  and  Palace,  in  City  of  Lincoln,  Canon  of  Westminster 
and  Vicar  here.' 

On  January  i  one  of  his  daughters  says  :  '  I  went  with  my 
father,  he  to  administer  Communion  to  two  old  men,  afterwards 
a  long  walk  with  him  on  the  Farringdon  Road.  Prospects  of 
diocese.  Providence  that  has  been  with  me  all  my  life ; 
Abraham's  example,  as  on  this  day;  subdivision  of  diocese 
and  other  plans.' 

It  was  in  this  same  spirit  that  he  took  to  himself,  in  his 
sermon  on  his  last  Sunday  at  Stanford,  the  beautiful  words  of 
Psalm  Ixxi. — the  Psalm  of  David's  old  age  :  ^  I  will  go  forth  in 
the  strength  of  the  Lord  God'j 

PSALM  LXXII. 

LLeading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  for  the  dominion  of  peace  of 
the  Anointed  One  of  God. 

Contents  (Syriac).  —  A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  made 
Solomon  king ;  a  prophecy  concerning  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  and  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Two  Psalms  only  in  the  entire  compass 

*  Izaak  Walton  s  Lives,  p.  401. 

t  Bishop  Wordsivorth' s  Life,  p.  208. 


312  PSALM-MOSAICS 

of  the  Psalter — this  and  the  127th — bear  the  name  of  Solomon. 
.  .  .  The  Inscription,  beyond  all  doubt,  means  to  say  that  the 
Psalm  is  Solomon's.  Nor  do  I  see  any  reason  for  rejecting  the 
tradition  thus  conveyed  to  us.  .  .  .  Delitzsch  conjectures  that 
he  may  have  composed  the  Psalm  shortly  after  his  accession, 
and  have  designed  it  as  a  prayer  to  be  offered  for  himself,  as 
the  inheritor  of  David's  throne  and  David's  promises,  in  the 
public  services  of  the  Temple. 

The  allusion  to  Sheba  and  to  Tarshish,  and  even  the  extent 
of  dominion  which  it  is  hoped  would  be  given  to  the  king,  all 
harmonize  with  the  reign  of  Solomon  better  than  of  any  other 
Jewish  monarch. 

lu  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Latin  Church 
for  the  Festival  of  the  Epiphany,  and  in  the  Sarum  and  Latin 
use  for  Trinity  Sunday  also,  and  in  the  Sarum  and  Gregorian 
use  for  the  Festival  of  the  Nativity."^ 

The  Wlwle  Psalm.  —  Three  years  after  Heber  wrote  the 
hymn,  '  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains,'  James  Montgomery 
repeated,  at  the  close  of  a  missionary  speech  at  Liverpool,  his 
noble  hymn  : 

'  Hail  to  the  Lord's  Anointed, 
Great  David's  greater  Son  !' 

a  rendering  of  the  72nd  Psalm,  in  which  there  is  a  some- 
what similar  stanza  describing  the  coming  of  different  and 
distant  peoples  to  Christ  : 

'  Arabia's  desert-ranger 

To  Him  shall  bow  the  knee, 
The  Ethiopian  stranger 
His  glory  come  to  see.  t 

Dr.  Watts's  best  paraphrase, 

'Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun 
Doth  his  successive  journeys  run,' 

is  also  founded  upon  this  Psalm. 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  1 12. 

t  Hymns  and  ScripUire  {Sunday  at  Home,  ii>76,  p.  407). 


PSALM  LXXII.  313 

Verse  14.   Dear  shall  their  blood  be  in  His  sight. 

'When  persecution's  torrent-blaze 

Wraps  the  unshrinking  Martyr's  head, 
When  fade  all  earthly  flowers  and  bays, 

When  summer  friends  are  gone  and  fled. 
Is  he  alone  in  that  dark  hour. 
Who  owns  the  Lord  of  love  and  power? 

'  Or  waves  there  not  around  his  brow 

A  wand  no  human  arm  may  wield, 
Fraught  with  a  spell  no  angels  know, 

His  steps  to  guide,  his  soul  10  shield  ? 
Thou,  Saviour,  art  his  Charmed  Bower, 

His  Magic  Ring,  his  Rock,  his  Tower.'* 

Verse  19.  Blessed  be  the  Name  of  His  Majesty  for  ever  and 
ever :  and  all  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  His  Majesty.  Amen, 
Jmen. — James,  Earl  of  Derby  said,  as  he  laid  his  head  on  the 
block,  ^Blessed  be  God's  holy  Na?ne  for  ever  a  fid  ever ;  let  the 
whole  earth  be  filled  with  His  glory.  Amen.'  And  the  execu- 
tioner not  being  ready,  he  repeated  it  again. 

*  John  Keble. 


BOOK  III. 

PSALMS  LXXIII— LXXXIX. 

What  the  heart  is  in  man,  that  the  Psalter  is  in  the  Bible.'— /^/z.  Arndt. 


PSALM  LXXIII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Temptation  to  Apostasy  overcome. 

Contents  (Syriac). — ^ Written  by  Asaph  the  Recorder,  concern- 
ing the  death  of  Absalom  ;  and  secondarily,  a  confession  of 
human  infirmity,  treating  also  of  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked 
and  the  long-suffering  of  God. 

The  Whole  Psalvi. — Savonarola  preached  sermons  on  this 
Psalm,  which  are  considered  to  be  theologically  the  best  of  his 
discourses.  P>om  some  strong  expressions  in  these  sermons  on 
the  doctrine  of  Divine  grace,  some  have  discovered  in  them  a 
tendency  to  Protestantism.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case; 
they  are  simply  echoes  of  the  language  of  St.  Augustine,  the 
greater  Father  of  the  Latin  Church."^ 

Verse  ii,  Tush^  say  they,  hoiv  should  God  perceive  it:  is  there 
knowledge  in  the  most  High  2 

'  "  Our  Father  !  '     If  He  heard  us,  He  would  surely 

(For  they  call  Him  good  and  mild) 
Answer,  smiling  down  the  steep  world  very  purely, 

"  Come  and  rest  with  Me,  My  child." 
"  But  no  !"  say  the  children,  weeping  faster, 

"  He  is  speechless  as  a  stone  ; 
And  they  tell  us,  of  His  image  is  the  master 

Who  commands  us  to  work  on. 
Go  to  !"  say  the  children  ;  "up  in  heaven, 

Dark,  wheel-like,  turning  clouds  are  all  we  find. 
Do  not  mock  iis  ;  grief  has  made  us  unbelieving— 

We  look  up  for  GoD,  but  tears  have  made  us  blind.' 
Do  you  hear  the  children  weeping  and  disproving, 

O  my  brothers,  what  ye  preach  ? 
For  God's  possible  is  taught  by  His  world's  loving — 

And  the  children  doubt  of  each.'t 


*  Savonarola,  by  Prebendary  Clark,  p.  153. 
t   Cry  of  the  Children,  by  E.  B.  Browning. 


3i8 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


Verse  24.  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee  ?  and  there  is  none 
upon  earth  that  I  desire  in  comparison  of  Thee. 

'  Lord  of  Earth  and  Heaven  !  my  breast 
Seeks  in  Thee  its  only  rest ; 
I  was  lost ;  Thy  accents  mild 
Homeward  lured  Thy  wandering  child. 
I  was  bhnd  ;  Thy  healing  ray 
Charmed  the  long  eclipse  away. 
Source  of  every  joy  I  know, 
Solace  of  my  every  woe, 
O,  if  once  Thy  smile  divine 
Ceased  upon  my  soul  to  shine, 
What  were  Earth  and  Heaven  to  me? 
What  have  I  in  each  but  Thee  ?''" 

Verse  25.  My  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth^  but   God  is  the 

strength  of  my  heart,  a?id  my  portion  for  ever,  was  the  last  verse 

on  which  the  thoughts   of  Charles  Wesley  rested,   and  with 

which  his  sanctified  genius  rose  to  higher  notes  among  angels 

and  ransomed  spirits.     His  death  was  like  his  life.     He  called 

his  wife,  and  bade  her  write  to  his  dictation.     It  was  the  last 

of  seven  thousand  hymns,  some  of  them   the   finest   in  the 

English  language,  which  had  welled  from   his  heart  day  and 

night,  wherever  he  moved. 

'  In  age  and  feebleness  extreme, 
Who  shall  a  sinful  worm  redeem  ? 
Jesus,  my  only  hope  Thou  art, 
Strength  of  my  failing  tlesh  and  heart  ; 
O,  could  I  catch  a  smile  Irom  Thee, 
And  drop  into  eternity  !'t 

God  is  the  strength  of  ?ny  heart,  and  my  portion  for  ever. 

'  My  heart  to  Thee  I  give  for  aye,  O  Jksu,  sweetest,  best  ; 
Thy  Heart  to  me  give  Thou,  I  pray,  O  Jesu,  loveliest  ! 

Our  hearts  alone  Thou  dost  require, 

Our  hearts  alone  Thou  dost  desire, 
Make  me  love  Thee  as  Thou  dost  me, 
O  Jesu,  Fount  of  Charity  I'J 

Verse  26.  Tor  /o,  they  that  forsake  Thee  shall  perish. — 
Madame  Guyon  had  gone  back  in  the  religious  life,  owing  to 
her  entertaining  certain  proposals  of  marriage. 

*  Sir  Robert  Grant. 

+   The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  lOl. 

+  John  Lorinus. 


PSALM  LXXIV.  319 

'  I  left  off  prayer,  I  became  as  a  vineyard  exposed  to  pillage, 
whose  hedges,  torn  down,  gave  liberty  to  all  the  creatures  to 
ravage  it.  I  began  to  seek  in  the  creature  what  I  had  found  in 
God.  And  Thou,  O  my  God,  didst  leave  me  to  myself,  because 
I  left  Thee  first,  and  wast  pleased  in  permitting  me  to  sink  into 
the  horrible  pit,  to  make  me  see  and  feel  the  necessity  of  main- 
taining a  state  of  continual  watchfulness  and  communion  with 
Thyself.  Thou  hast  taught  Thy  people  that  Thou  wilt  destroy 
those  who,  by  indulging  wrongly-placed  affections,  depart  from 
Thee  (Ps.  Ixxii.  26).  Alas !  their  departure  alone  causes  their 
destruction ;  since,  in  departing  from  Thee,  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness,  they  enter  into  the  region  of  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  death,  and  there,  bereft  of  all  true  strength,  they 
will  remain.  It  is  not  possible  that  they  will  ever  rise  again, 
unless  Thou  shalt  revisit  them — unless  Thou  shalt  restore  them 
to  light,  by  illuminating  their  darkness,  and  by  melting  their 
icy  hearts.  Thou  didst  leave  me  to  myself  because  I  left  Thee 
first  j  but  such  was  Thy  goodness,  that  it  seemed  to  me  that 
Thou  didst  leave  me  with  regret.'* 


PSALM  LXXIV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Appeal  to  God  against  religious  perse- 
cution, in  which  the  Temple  is  violated. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph,  when  David  saw  the 
angel  destroying  the  people,  and  wept,  and  said,  '  Let  thine 
hand  be  against  me  and  against  my  seed,  and  not  against  these 
innocent  sheep';  and  secondarily,  a  prediction  of  the  siege  of 
the  city  of  the  Jews  forty  years  after  the  Ascension,  by  Ves- 
pasian, and  Titus  his  son,  who  slew  myriads  of  the  Jews,  and 
destroyed  Jerusalem ;  and  the  Jews  are  rejected  even  to  this 
day. 

Origin  (Perowne).— On  the  whole,  I  am  inclined  to  think 
*  Life  of  Madame  Guyon,  p.  1 5. 


^320  PSALM-MOSAICS 

that  this  Psalm  may  be  most  naturally  explained  by  events  that 
took  place  in  the  time  of  the  Maccabees.  If,  in  any  particular, 
the  language  seems  too  strong  as  applied  to  that  time — as,  for 
instance,  the  description  of  the  burning  of  the  Temple — this 
may  be  as  readily  explained  by  poetic  exaggeration,  as  verse  9 
is  so  explained  by  those  who  hold  the  opposite  view. 

Or,  perhaps,  as  Calvin  suggests,  the  writer,  overcome  by  the 
mournful  spectacle  before  his  eyes,  could  not  but  carry  back 
his  thoughts  to  the  earlier  catastrophe,  and  thence  borrowed 
some  images,  blending,  in  his  imagination,  the  two  calamities 
in  one. 

T/ie  Whole  Psabn. — When  Henri  x\rnaud,  in  1689,  at  the 
head  of  the  exiled  Vaudois,  fought  his  way  back  to  his 
native  soil,  and,  after  incredible  exertions  and  toil,  found 
himself  once  more  in  his  own  valleys,  and,  pursuing  his 
success,  had  seized  the  passes  of  Col  di  Guiliand,  and  entered 
the  town  of  Bobbio,  'Then,'  says  Mr.  Gilbey,  'the  gallant 
patriots  took  an  oath  of  fidelity  to  each  other,  and  celebrated 
Divine  Service  in  one  of  their  own  churches  for  the  first  time 
since  their  banishment.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  moment  was 
irrepressible  ;  they  chanted  the  74th  Psalm  to  the  clash  of  arms, 
and  Henri  Arnaud,  mounting  the  pulpit  with  a  sword  in  one 
hand  and  a  Bible  in  the  other,  preached  from  the  129th 
Psalm,  and  once  more  declared  in  the  face  of  heaven  that  he 
would  never  resume  his  pastoral  office  in  patience  and  peace, 
until  he  should  witness  the  restoration  of  his  brethren  to  their 
ancient  and  rightful  settlements.'* 

Verses  5-9.  They  break  doivfi  ail  the  carved  work  thereof  with 
axes  and  Imnwiers  {verse  7). — It  is  probable  that  the  great 
majority  of  educated  people  who  read  verses  5-9  of  this  Psalm 
instinctively  apply  them  to  modern  iconoclasm,  and  have  in 
mind  the  ruined  abbeys  of  Great   Britain    and    the    defaced 

*  Daily  Comments  on  the  Psalms,  by  B.  Bouchier,  vol.  ii.,  p.  374. 


PSALM  LXXIV.  321 

shrines  of  many  foreign  lands.    Yet  there  is  almost  total  silence 
on  the  subject  in  the  commentators,  early  or  late. 

Cassiodorus,  who  lived  when  the  memory  of  Attila  and 
Genseric  was  still  fresh ;  Remigius,  the  contemporary  of  the 
worst  inroads  of  the  Northmen;  the  Greek  Offices  for  Ortho- 
doxy Sunday,  composed  against  the  destroyers  of  icons ;  and 
even  the  Jesuit  Lorinus,  who  lived  during  much  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  War,  have  not  a  word  on  the  subject.  A  brief  allusion  in 
Corderius,  a  fuller  one  in  a  Lutheran  commentator,  directed 
against  Carolstadt,  and  a  lament  of  De  Muis  over  Orleans 
Cathedral,  are  all  I  have  found.  Even  the  great  contro- 
versiahst  Bellarmine  himself  is  silent ;  and  I  will  follow  his 
example.* 

Verse  12.  Why  withdrawest  Thou  Thy  hand,  why  pluckest 
Thou  not  Thy  right  ha7id  out  of  Thy  bosom  to  consume  the 
enemy  ? — Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  though  their  version  is  harsh, 
and  some  of  their  expressions  quaint  almost  to  ridicule,  yet 
they  have  hit  the  true  meaning  which  our  prose  translators 
have  missed  : 

'Why  dost  Thou  draw  Thy  hand  aback. 
And  hide  it  in  Thy  lap  ? 
Oh  pluck  it  out,  and  be  not  slack 
To  give  Thy  foes  a  rap  !'t 

Verse  24.  Forget  7iot  the  voice  of  Thine  enemies  ;  the  presu7np- 
tion  of  them  that  hate  Thee  increasetJi  ever  more  and  more.  — 
Much  of  this  Psalm  has  passed  over  our  mind  while  beholding 
the  idolatries  of  Rome,  and  remembering  her  bloody  persecu- 
tion of  the  saints.  '  O  Lord,  how  long  shall  it  be  ere  Thou 
wilt  ease  Thyself  of  these  profane  wretches,  the  priests,  and 
cast  the  harlot  of  Babylon  into  the  ditch  of  corruption  ?  May 
Thy  Church  never  cease  to  plead  with  Thee  till  judgment  shall 
be  executed,  and  the  Lord  avenged  upon  Antichrist  !'t 

These  vindictive  words  are  in  strange  contrast  to  the  forbear- 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Conwientary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  497- 
+  Adam  Clarke's  Commentaiy,  p.  2170. 
X  C.  H.  Spurgeon  :   Treasury  of  David,  vol.  iii.,  p.  374. 

2£ 


322  PSALM-MOSAICS 

ing    spirit  shown  in  the  preceding  extract,  by  these   'profane 
wretches,  the  priests,'  themselves. 


PSALM  LXXV. 

Heading  (Dehtzsch). — The  nearness  of  the  Judge  with  the 
cup  of  wrath. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Another  of  the  '  Destroy  not '  Psalms. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph — Theological  truth 
respecting  the  Messiah,  and  warning  of  the  Judgment. 

Origin  (Perowne). — There  are  no  clearly-marked  historical 
allusions  in  the  Psalm.  It  seems,  however,  not  improbable,  as 
has  been  conjectured  by  many  commentators  (Ewald,  Tholuck, 
Delitzsch,  etc.),  that  it  may  refer  to  the  time  of  the  Assyrian 
invasion,  either  as  celebrating,  or  immediately  anticipating,  the 
defeat  of  Sennacherib.  Like  Psalm  xlvi.,  it  bears  some  resem- 
blance to  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  uttered  at  that  time. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  close  resemblance  between  many 
of  the  expressions  in  this  Psalm  and  parts  of  the  song  of 
Hannah  in  i  Sam.  ii.  is  very  noticeable."^ 

Verse  7.  For  promotio7i  conieth  neither  from  the  east,  nor  from 
the  west^  nor  yet  from  the  south. — When  Lord  North  was  Prime 
Minister  of  England,  one  of  his  chaplains,  with  a  look  at  his 
Lordship,  took  for  his  text,  with  the  happiest  results  :  '  Promo- 
tion Cometh  neither  from  the  East.,  nor  from  the  West,  nor  yet 
from  the  South. '\ 

Verse  10.  As  for  the  dregs  thereof,  all  the  ungodly  of  the  earth 
shall  drink  them  and  suck  them  out. — This  image  is  found,  not 
only  frequently  in  other  places  in  the  Old  Testament,  but  also 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  35. 
t  Monthly  Packet,  June,  188 1,  p.  615. 


PSALM  LXXVI.  323 

very  often  in  the  Arabian  poets.  Thus,  Taabbata  Scharran,  in 
a  passage  of  an  Arabic  Anthology,  by  Alb.  Schultens  :  '  To 
those  of  the  tribe  of  Hodail,  we  gave  the  cup  of  death,  whose 
dregs  were  confusion,  shame,  and  reproach.'  Another  poet 
says  :  '  A  cup  such  as  they  gave  us,  we  gave  to  them.'  When 
Calif  Almansor  had  his  valiant  though  dreaded  general,  Abre- 
Moslem,  murdered,  he  repeated  the  following  verse,  in  which  he 
addressed  the  corpse :  '  A  cup  such  as  he  gave,  gave  I  him, 
bitterer  to  the  taste  than  wormwood.'* 


PSALM  LXXVI. 

Beading  (Delitzsch).— Praise  of  God  after  His  judgment  has 
gone  forth. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  most  jubilant  war-song,  a  paean  to  the 
King  of  kings,  the  hymn  of  a  theocratic  nation  to  its  Divine 
ruler. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  Asaph,  when  Rabba  of  the 
children  of  Ammon  was  destroyed  ;  and  secondarily  setting 
forth  the  vengeance  of  the  Messiah's  judgment  upon  the 
wicked. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  is  one  of  several  Psalms  which, 
as  has  been  remarked  in  the  Introduction  to  Psalm  xlvi.,  were 
composed  in  celebration  of  the  miraculous  overthrow  of  Senna- 
cherib's army.  From  the  days  of  Israel's  first  occupation  of 
the  land,  when  God  went  forth  with  their  hosts,  giving  the 
victory  by  signs  and  wonders  from  heaven,  no  deliverance  so 
signal  had  been  witnessed.  Hence  it  roused  in  an  extra- 
ordinary degree  the  religious  fervour  of  the  nation,  and  called 
forth  loud  songs  of  thanksgiving.  Like  Psalms  xlvi.,  xlvii.,  and 
xlviii.,  this  is  an  ode  of  victory  over  the  Assyrians.  .  .  .  The 
internal  evidence  points  so  clearly  to  the  occasion  for  which  the 

*  Burder. 


324  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

Psalm  was  written,  that  the  LXX.  have  inscribed  it  Tlphg  tov 
\\cravp/ov,  and  this  reference  has,  with  few  exceptions,  been 
recognised  by  commentators,  ancient  and  modern. 

T/ie  Whole  Psalm. — Times  without  number  this  Psalm  has 
been  sung,  as  furnishing  the  fittest  expression  of  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  of  Gor/s  people  in  view  of  deliverances  wrought 
for  them.  When  the  Covenanters  at  Drumclog  closed  their 
ranks  to  meet  the  onset  of  Claverhouse  and  his  dragoons,  they 
sang  the  opening  verses  to  the  tune  of  Martyrs  : 

'  In  Judah's  land  God  is  well  known, 

His  name's  in  Isr'el  great  ; 
In  Salem  is  His  tabernacle, 
In  Zion  is  His  seat. 

'  Their  arrows  of  the  bow  He  brake, 
The  shield,  the  sword,  the  war  ; 
More  glorious  Thou  than  hills  of  prey, 
More  excellent  art  far. 

'  Those  that  were  stout  of  heart  are  spoiled, 

They  slept  their  sleep  outright ; 
And  none  of  those  their  hands  did  find, 
That  were  the  men  of  might.'* 

T/ie  Spanish  Armada  was  dispersed  in  1588.  When  the 
first  rumours  of  its  discomfiture  reached  Edinburgh,  and  the 
citizens  assembled  to  render  thanks  to  God,  Robert  Bruce 
addressed  them  in  the  West  Kirk,  taking  this  Psalm  for  his  text, 
and  the  two  noble  sermons  he  preached  on  the  occasion  were, 
from  beginning  to  end,  little  more  than  a  running  commentary 
on  the  Psalm,  x^nd  every  hearer  must  have  felt  that  the  whole 
was  as  appropriate  to  the  circumstances  as  if  the  Psalm  had 
been  written  for  the  occasion. 

Verse  4.  Thou  art  of  moj-e  hc7iour  a?id  might  than  the  hills  of 
the  robbers.—  Ch?ix\Q?>  Kingsley  had  a  special  love  for  this  Psalm. 
^^'hen  sailing  up  the  Rhine,  and  looking  on  the  ruined  strong- 
holds of  the  old  freebooters,  he  writes  :  '  How  strange  that  my 
favourite  Psalm   about  the  hills  of  the  robbers  (hills  of  prey) 

*   The  Psabtis  :   Their  History,  Teaching,  etc.,  by  Dr.  Binnie,  p.  91. 


PSALM  LXXVII. 


3^: 


should   have    come  in   course   the    very  day   I   went    up  the 
Rhine  !'* 

Verse  6.  At  Thy  rehike,  O  God  of  Jacob,  both  the  chariot  and 
horse  are  fallen.— Byron's  animated  hnes  on  the  destruction  of 
Sennacherib,  which  may  have  been  partly  suggested  by  this 
Psalm,  will  occur  to  every  reader : 

'  And  there  lay  the  steed  with  his  nostril  all  wide, 
But  thro'  it  there  rolled  not  the  breath  of  his  pride  ; 
And  the  foam  of  his  gasping  lay  white  on  the  turf, 
And  cold  as  the  spray  of  the  rock-beating  surf. 
And  there  lay  the  rider,  distorted  and  pale, 
With  the  dew  on  his  brow,  and  the  rust  on  his  mail.'t 


PSALM  LXXVII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Comfort  derived  from  the  history  of 
the  past  during  years  of  affliction. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph — concerning  the  long- 
suffering  of  God  and  His  wondrous  works,  and  how  David 
overcame  the  enemies  of  the  Lord. 

Origin  (Perowne). — By  whom  the  Psalm  was  written,  or  to 
what  period  of  the  history  it  is  to  be  referred,  it  is  now  impos- 
sible to  say.  The  manner  in  which,  towards  the  close,  the 
passage  of  the  Red  Sea  is  dwelt  upon,  has  led  many  to  conclude 
that  it  was  written  by  one  of  the  exiles  during  the  Babylonish 
captivity.  Those  two  memorable  events,  the  deliverance  from 
Babylon  and  the  deliverance  from  Egypt,  were  always  associated 
in  the  minds  of  the  Jews,  the  one  being  regarded,  in  fact,  as 
the  pledge  of  the  other.  This,  however,  in  itself,  is  not 
decisive.  .  .  .  But  whenever,  and  by  whomsoever,  the  Psalm 
may  have  been  wTitten,  it  clearly  is  individual,  not  national. 

Verse  i.  I  will  cry  unto  God  luith  my  voice. — Note  the  stress 

*    The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography.,  p,  1 06. 

+    The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  43. 


325  PSALM-MOSAICS 

on  MY  voice.  They  who  pray  must  do  it  for  themselves,  must 
do  it  with  the  articulate,  intelligent  voice  of  a  man,  not  with  the 
inarticulate  sound  of  a  beast,  must  direct  their  petition  to  God 
Himself.  And  hence  it  is  laid  down  by  all  canonists  that  a 
cleric  or  religious,  who  is  bound  to  the  recitation  of  certain 
offices,  does  not  satisfy  his  obligation  by  being  merely  present, 
while  another  is  reciting  them,  without  taking  any  more  direct 
share  himself,  nor  yet  by  silently  reciting  the  service,  nor  even 
by  hasty  and  muttered  recitation.  He  must  cry  to  God  with 
his  voice,  for  '  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salva- 
tion.'"^ 

Ferse  6.  /  ca//  to  i-ejuembraiice  7ny  song. — There  was  one 
more  night  of  most  distressing  restlessness,  and  no  sleep  came  ; 
he  asked  his  wife  to  read  the  77th  Psalm,  and  w^hen  she  had 
done  so,  he  said,  '  Oh,  how  beautiful  that  is  !     Read  it  again.' 

'  /  call  to  remembrmice  my  song^  Those  who  in  later  years  at 
Newland  heard  him  sing  alone  the  first  few  words  of  the  Venite 
or  Magnificat  before  the  choir  joined  in,  can  never  forget  the 
beauty  of  that  song,  or  the  reverent  worship  which  it  expressed. 
All  through  the  night  psalms  and  hymns  were  read  to  him,  as 
he  could  bear  it ;  he  could  not  sing  them  yet. 

When  the  doctor  came  on  Thursday  morning  he  saw  that 
the  end  was  approaching,  but  did  not  tell  this  to  Mrs.  Skinner- 
She  sent  a  friend  to  be  with  her  husband  for  a  little,  and  to  her 
he  reproached  himself  for  procrastination,  saying  that  he  had 
undertaken  too  much.  '  But  what  is  time  to  me  nozi\^  he  added, 
'  except  to  know  more  of  the  love,  and  consolation,  and  libe- 
rality, and  tenderness  of  God  ?'  Then  he  murmured,  '  Pax ! 
Rest !  O  God,  have  mercy  !'  and  twice  made  the  Sign  of  the 
Cross.  The  dew  of  death  was  on  his  forehead,  yet  he  never 
thought  he  w^as  dying  ;  roused  himself  by  one  last  effort,  and 
was  settled  in  his  chair  by  mid-day.  Mr.  Dunn  called  and  had 
prayers  w^ith  him  ;  he  said  that  he  knew  he  could  not  bear 
more  than  the  shortest  service  at  his  Communion  on  the 
■'■'  Dr.  Neale's  Cofnjnenta?y,  vol.  ii.,  p.  528. 


PSALM  LXXVII.  327 


morrow,  and  gave  minute  directions  as  to  what  he  wished  to  be 
done,  speaking  in  a  strong,  earnest  voice. 

When  they  were  alone  together,  his  wife  said  to  him,  *  Dr. 

H ,  I  fear,  thinks  you  much  weaker  to-day';  for  she  had 

perceived  this,  and  thought  he  ought  to  know  it.  He  turned 
his  head  quickly,  looked  at  her  earnestly,  and  said  in  a  rather 
surprised  tone,  '  Does  he  ?'  She  could  not  speak ;  he  seemed 
to  see  in  her  face  all  that  she  would  say,  and  after  a  little  pause 
looked  upward,  and  said  slowly  :  '  This  life  has  no  attraction 
for  me  beyond  yourself;  you  are  my  only  tie.  My  hope  and 
firm  trust  is  in  my  blessed,  dearest  Lord,  Who  loves  me. 
Vile  and  unworthy  as  I  am,  I  know  how  greatly  He  loves 
me,  and  in  that  love  I  place  all  my  hope  and  confidence.' 
He  spoke  in  a  feeble  voice,  and  as  if  it  were  a  difficulty  to 
him  to  articulate,  but  his  face  shone  with  an  expression  of 
rapture. 

His  wife  tried  to  say  a  few  words  of  love,  and  of  their  blessed 
life  together,  but  she  could  hardly  speak.  He  turned  again, 
looking  earnestly  and  tenderly  at  her,  and  said :  '  Do  not  let  us 
upset  each  other ;  we  mtist  not  upset  each  other.' 

He  seemed  faint  and  tired,  but  said  that  when  he  was  rested 
she  was  to  bring  him  paper  and  pencil,  and  he  would  dictate  a 
few  last  wishes.  She  left  him  for  luncheon,  httle  dreaming  how 
near  was  the  end  ;  when  she  returned  he  bade  her  bring  a  sheet 
of  paper,  and  write  a  letter  for  him ;  then  he  dictated  a  note, 
asking  about  an  address,  and,  taking  the  pen  from  her  hand, 
signed  it  himself.  Then  he  seemed  quite  exhausted,  closed  his 
eyes,  and  lay  still.  Once  again  he  looked  at  his  wife,  asked  for 
a  cordial,  drank  a  little  and  seemed  revived,  but  disposed  to 
sleep.  She  sat  watching  him  as  he  slept  quietly,  his  breathing 
so  much  less  laboured  than  it  had  been,  that  she  hoped  he 
would  wake  up  refreshed,  and  about  4  p.m.  carried  a  book  to 
the  window,  as  the  light  was  waning.  She  heard  suddenly  a 
slight,  gentle  sound,  and  was  in  an  instant  by  his  side.  He  lay 
asin  the  same  calm  sleep  of  the  last  hour  ;  there  was  no  trace 
of  suffering,  only  the  drops  stood  thick  on  his  brow.     She  did 


328  PSALM-MOSAICS 

not  know,  until  her  faithful  servant  told  her,  that  the  last  bonds 
which  held  the  spirit  captive  had  been  gently  broken,  and  that 
the  land  of  everlasting  rest  was  won. 

'  When  I  wake  up,  I  am  present  with  Thee.'* 


PSALM  LXXVIII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  warning-mirror  of  history  from 
Moses  to  David. 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph,  in  which  he  intimates 
to  the  Jews  they  should  keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord, 
and  not  be  like  their  forefathers. 

Origin  (Perowne). — In  this,  the  longest  of  the  historical 
Psalms,  the  history  of  Israel  is  briefly  recapitulated,  from  the 
time  of  the  Exodus  to  the  final  union  of  the  tribes  under  David, 
and  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  in  his  family.  This 
appeal  to  the  past  is  made  evidently  with  a  purpose.  The 
Psalmist  comes  forward  as  a  prophet  to  rebuke  the  sin,  the 
ingratitude,  the  rebellion  of  his  people.  ...  It  is,  however, 
remarkable  that  another  and  more  special  purpose  appears  in 
the  Psalm.  If  the  whole  nation  is  rebuked,  the  rebuke  falls 
heaviest  on  Ephraim.  Ephraim  is  singled  out  as  the  leader  in 
the  earlier  apostasy  of  the  people,  as  the  very  type  of  a  faith- 
less and  recreant  spirit  (verse  12).  The  rejection  of  Ephraim 
and  the  choice  of  Judah  are  dwelt  upon  at  the  close  in  a  tone 
of  satisfaction  and  triumph,  as  the  fulfilment  of  the  purpose  of 
God.  It  is  scarcely  possible,  therefore,  to  resist  the  conclusion 
that  the  Psalm  was  written  after  the  defection  of  the  Ten  Tribes, 
and  that  it  was  designed  either  to  curb  the  pride  of  the  northern 
kingdom,  or  to  address  a  warning  to  Judah,  based  on  the 
example  of  Ephraim, 

*  James  Skinner,  p.  382. 


PSALM  LXXIX.  329 

Verse  10.  Like  as  the  children  of  Ephraim^  who^  being  har- 
nessed and  canying  bows^  iurjied  themselves  back  in  the  day  of 
battle. — The  Targum  here  mentions  a  Jewish  legend,  that  the 
Ephraimites  saUied  out  of  Egypt  thirty  years  before  the  Exodus, 
and  after  a  severe  defeat  from  the  first  enemies  they  encountered, 
returned  to  their  bondage.* 

Verse  37.  For  their  heart  was  7iot  whole  with  Him:  neither 
continued  they  stedfast  in  His  covenant. — Those  who  are  inte- 
rested in  such  details,  may  like  to  know  that  the  Jews  counted 
this  37th  verse  to  be  the  middle  one  of  the  Psalter,  t 

Verse  40.  They  were  even  a  wind  that  passeth  away.,  and 
Cometh  not  again. 

*  And  what's  a  life  ?     A  weary  pilgrimage, 
Whose  glory  in  one  day  doth  fill  thy  stage 
With  childhood,  manhood,  and  decrepit  age. 

'  And  what's  a  life  ?     The  flourishing  array 
Of  the  proud  summer  meadow,  which  to- day 
Wears  her  green  blush,  and  is  to-morrov/  hay. 

'  And  what's  a  life?     A  blast  sustained  with  clothing, 
Maintained  with  food,  retained  with  vile  self-loathing. 
Then,  weary  of  itself,  again  to  nothing. 'J 


PSALM  LXXIX. 

Heading   (Delitzsch).  —  Supplicatory    Prayer  in  a  time    of 
Devastation,  or  bloodshed,  and  of  derision. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— A  Psalm  of  Complaint. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  Asaph,  written  concerning 
the  desolation  of  Jerusalem. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm  is  a  lamentation   over  the 
same  great  national  calamity  which  is  bewailed  in   terms  so 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commenta7y,  vol.  ii.,  p.  546. 

f  Ibid.,  p.  560. 

X  Francis  Quarles'  Emblems,  iii.  13. 


330  PSALM-MOSAICS 

pathetic  in  the  74th.  .  .  .  There  can  be  httle  doubt  that  both 
Psalms,  even  if  not  written  by  the  same  poet,  yet  bewail  the 
same  calamity.  It  is  equally  certain  that  there  are  but  two 
periods  of  the  national  history  to  which  the  language  of  either 
could  properly  apply.  But,  in  attempting  to  draw  our  inference 
from  this  Psalm,  the  same  difficulties  meet  us  which  have 
already  met  us  in  an  attempt  to  determine  the  date  of  Psalm 
Ixxiv.  Does  the  Psalm  deplore  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
by  Nebuchadnezzar,  or  is  it  a  dirge  over  the  sack  of  the  city  by 
Antiochus  Epiphanes? 

The  Whole  Psalm. — -Dante  had  been  charmed  by  the  dolce 
sahnodia  (Purg.  xxiii.  i)  of  this  Psalm,  and  interpreted  its 
language  of  the  low  spiritual  state  of  the  Church  ;  and  long 
afterwards  it  expressed  the  feelings  of  sons  and  daughters  of 
our  own  land  during  the  Indian  Mutiny.  Nor  must  we  forget 
that  in  the  massacre  of  Alcimus  (b.c.  162),  the  writer  of  i  Mace, 
vii.  16,  17,  finds  a  fulfilment  of  the  second  verse  of  our  Psalm. "^^ 

]^erse  i .  O  God,  the  heathen  are  come  i?ito  Thine  ifiherilance : 
Thy  holy  tejnple  have  they  defiled,  and  made  Jerusalem  a  heap  of 
stones. — At  this  point  (end  of  verse  i)  the  Golden  Commentary 
of  Gerhohus  ceases.  That  portion  of  his  great  work  which  he 
completed  first,  by  no  means  equal  to  the  latter,  begins  with 
Psalm  cxix. 

St.  Af?ibrose  and  the  Empress  Justina. — Troops  were  sent 
under  arms  to  occupy  the  church ;  and  it  seems  as  if  from  the 
first  the  fidelity  of  the  orthodox  soldiers  to  their  heretical 
mistress  was  more  than  suspected,  since  a  contingent  of  Goths, 
who  were  Arians,  formed  part  of  the  detachment.  Ambrose 
passed  the  whole  of  the  day,  apparently  Tuesday  in  Holy  Week, 
in  the  church,  dreading  that  blood  should  be  shed,  so  strong 
was  the  feeling  of  the  people.  At  night  he  went  home  to  rest, 
but  returned  to  his  post  on  the  Wednesday  before  sunrise.  He 
found  the  church  surrounded  with  soldiers,  but  their  behaviour 
*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  the  Rev.  T.  K.  Cheyne,  p.  223. 


PSALM  LXXIX.  331 

was  quiet,  and  many  of  them  made  no  secret  of  their  attach- 
ment to  him  and  the  Cathohc  cause.  The  service  of  the  day 
had  commenced,  when  he  learnt  that  another  church,  the  *new 
basiHca,'  was  filled  with  people,  who  implored  him  to  come  to 
them.  He  remained,  however,  where  he  was,  and  preached. 
The  lessons  of  the  day  were  from  the  Book  of  Job,  and  he  took 
occasion  to  speak  of  the  Christian  virtues  of  faith  and  patience, 
commending  the  people  for  their  gentleness,  so  like  that  of 
Job,  and  their  faithful  reply  to  the  imperial  menaces  and  cen- 
sures :  '  We  do  not  fight  your  Majesty,  and  we  do  not  fear  ;  we 
only  make  our  prayer.' 

Then  he  showed  how  the  trials  that  beset  Job  had  been  per- 
mitted to  come  upon  him,  their  pastor ;  the  tempter  had  en- 
deavoured to  rob  him  of  his  spiritual  heritage  and  his  spiritual 
children.  Last  of  all,  in  the  spirit  of  that  famous  sermon 
which  John  Chrysostom  preached  some  eighteen  years  later 
against  an  empress,  he  inveighed  against  Justina  in  a  way  which 
scarcely  commends  itself  to  our  taste.  '  All  the  worst  trials 
that  have  assailed  God's  people  have  come  through  women. 
Job's  wife  tempted  him,  saying,  "Curse  God  and  die";  and 
a  woman  now  bids  me,  Give  up  the  altar  of  God  !  So  Eve  led 
Adam  astray,  Jezebel  persecuted  Elijah,  and  Herodias  com- 
passed the  death  of  John  the  Baptist.' 

As  the  sermon  proceeded,  it  was  announced  to  him  (though, 
as  it  turned  out,  without  foundation)  that  the  imperial  curtains 
had  been  removed  from  the  Portian  Church,  a  token  of  yielding 
on  the  part  of  his  opponents.  '  How  wonderful,'  he  burst  out, 
'are  the  dealings  of  God!  We  have  this  day  sung  in  the 
Psalms,  "  O  God,  the  heathe?i  are  cojne  into  Thine  inheritance^ 
Heathen  and  Goths  of  many  a  tribe  and  race  have  come  into 
Thine  inheritance,  and  seized  on  Thy  tem.ple.  But  many  of 
them  have  remained  there ;  many  of  those  who  came  to  invade 
the  inheritance  have  been  made  with  us  the  heirs  of  God  : 
there  brake  He  the  arrows  of  the  bow,  the  shield,  the  sword, 
and  the  battle.'  He  was  pressed  to  go  to  one  of  the  other 
churches,    but    he    still    declined;    he    sent,   however,   some 


332  PSALM-MOSAICS 

presbyters  to  the  Portian  Church,  imagining  that  the 
Emperor  had  withdrawn  his  mother's  claim.  But  he  was  dis- 
appointed to  find  himself  shortly  after  taken  to  task  by  a 
messenger  from  the  palace,  who  taxed  him  with  'tyranny.' 
*  I  would  not  go  myself  to  the  church,'  was  his  reply,  '  but  I 
sent  my  presbyters,  because  I  believed  that  the  Emperor  had 
at  last  come  round  to  our  side.  As  to  priestly  tyranny,  all  that 
I  am  guilty  of  is  expressed  in  the  words,  "  When  I  am  weak, 
then  am  I  strong."  The  ministers  of  God  have  often  endured, 
but  never  practised,  tyranny.' 

'J'hat  night  was  passed  in  the  church,  for  egress  was  prevented 
by  the  soldiers.  Like  St.  Paul  in  prison,  the  brethren  spent 
their  time  in  reciting  psalms  and  hymns.  Next  morning 
(Maundy  Thursday)  Ambrose  preached  on  the  effects  of  peni- 
tence, from  the  Book  of  Jonah,  which  was  read  in  the  lessons 
for  the  day.  He  had  scarcely  concluded,  when  the  welcome 
news  came  that  the  soldiers  were  withdrawn  from  the  churches, 
and  the  sentences  passed  a  few  days  before  remitted ;  the 
people,  soldiers  and  civilians  ahke,  testified  their  joy  in  the 
most  lively  manner. 

Verses  i,  8,  9.  O  God,  the  heathen  are  come  into  Thine  in- 
heritance: Thy  holy  temple  have  they  defiled,  a?id  made  Jerusalem 
a?t  heap  of  stones.  .  .  .  O  remember  not  our  old  sins,  and  have  mercy 
upon  us,  and  that  soon.  .  .  .  Help  us,  O  God  of  our  salvation. — In 
1564,  the  Duke  Emanuel  Philibert  (of  Savoy)  recovered  a  part 
of  the  Chablais,  which  the  Bernese  had  wrested  in  1536  from 
the  Duke  of  Savoy.  It  was  not,  however,  until  the  peace  of 
1593  that  Chablais  and  Ternier  were  finally  ceded  to  Savoy. 
The  religious  condition  of  the  people  by  this  time  was  pitiable; 
they  had  learnt  to  measure  their  faith  accordnig  to  their  political 
position,  and  were  for  the  most  part  converted  to  Catholicism 
by  the  Duke's  warriors,  or  terrified  into  Protestantism  by 
Bernese  harquebuses.  When  at  length  there  was  a  reasonable 
hope  of  lasting  security,  Charles  Emanuel  (the  successor  of 
Duke  Emanuel  Philibert)  wished  to  see  his  subjects  restored  to 


PSALM  LXXIX.  333 

the  Church,  and  he  appHedto  the  Bishop  of  Geneva,  requesting 
him  to  exercise  his  apostoHc  zeal  for  this  desirable  end.  Bishop 
Granier  fully  appreciated  the  necessity,  though,  perhaps,  scarcely 
the  difficulty,  and  at  once  sent  a  worthy  and  learned  Priest, 
Fran(^ois  Bouchut  by  name,  to  Thonon  as  Cure,  but  he  soon 
quitted  his  post.  The  Provost  of  Geneva  (St.  Francis)  was  the 
man  best  fitted  for  the  task.  The  Bishop  knew  this,  and  so  in 
full  chapter  read  the  Duke  of  Savoy's  letter.  There  was  pro- 
found silence.  Toil,  difficulty,  dangers,  were  the  only  earthly 
side  visible  of  the  mission  set  before  them,  and  M.  Bouchut's 
failure  had  discouraged  them.  All  eyes  turned  to  the  Provost, 
and,  as  head  of  the  chapter,  it  was  his  place  to  speak  first 
Probably  none  present  more  fully  appreciated  the  arduous 
nature  of  the  work  than  himself.  Amid  the  disheartening 
silence  he  rose  and  said  in  brief  words,  but  with  a  glowing 
countenance,  '  Monseigneur,  if  you  hold  me  to  be  capable  of 
this  work,  and  bid  me  undertake  it,  I  am  ready.  In  verbo  tuo 
laxabo  rete.'  .  .  . 

As  they  {i.e.,  St.  Francis  and  his  cousin.  Canon  Louis  de 
Sales,  who  was  his  only  companion)  crossed  the  boundary  of 
Chablais,  we  are  told  that  they  knelt  down  and  commended 
their  work  specially  to  God  and  to  the  Guardian  Angels:  'Ecce 
ego  mittam  Angelum  meum,  qui  praecedat  te,  et  custodiat  in 
vici,  et  introducat  in  locum  quem  paravi ;  observa  eum,  et  audi 
vocem  ejus.  .  .   .' 

With  regard  to  this  mission.  Faith  and  Perseverance  had 
their  reward,  and  the  tide  began  to  turn  in  Francis's  favour 
from  the  time  he  moved  to  Thonon.  His  devoted  life,  his 
unfaiHng  gentleness  and  meekness,  the  charity  with  which  he 
met  all  needs,  spiritual  and  temporal,  giving  away  all  but  what 
his  very  most  pressing  necessities  demanded,  even  of  food  and 
clothing,  won  the  admiration  of  all  save  the  most  prejudiced 

minds. 

^  ^  ^  "k  ^ 

There  were  many  exciting  incidents  in  this  mission.  Accom- 
panied by  a  faithful  servant,  George  Rolland,  St.  Francis  was 


334  PSALM -MOSAICS 

overtaken  by  darkness  in  a  thick  forest,  when  returning  to 
Allinges,  and,  after  vainly  endeavouring  to  find  the  way,  they 
resolved  to  shelter  for  the  night  amid  the  ruins  of  a  chapel  on 
which  they  had  stumbled.  There,  RoUand  used  to  relate  how 
his  master  poured  out  his  fervent  prayers  over  the  desecrated 
moss-grown  walls  in  the  plaintive  words  of  David :  '  Thy  holy 
lemple  have  they  defiled,  ajid  made  Je7'usalem  an  heap  of  stones  : 
they  have  laid  waste  Thy  dwelling-place.  O  remejnber  not  our 
sins,  but  have  mercy  upon  us,  and  that  soon.  Help  us,  O  God 
of  our  salvation.^'''  '  Turn  us  again,  O  God  ;  show  the  light  of 
Thy  countenance,  and  we  shall  be  whole.  .  .  .  Why  hast  Thou 
broken  down  our  hedge?  Look  down,  and  visit  this  vine.'t 
'  They  break  down  all  the  carved  work  thereof,  with  axes  and 
hammers.  O  God,  wherefore  art  Thou  absent  from  us  so  long? 
why  is  Thy  wrath  so  hot  against  the  sheep  of  Thy  pasture  ?  O 
think  upon  Thy  congregation,  whom  Thou  hast  purchased,  and 
redeemed  of  old.'|,§ 

Verses  5,8.  Lord,  how  long  wilt  Thou  be  angry  ?  .  . .  O  rejneni- 
ber  fiot  our  old  sins. — St.  Augustine,  when  in  the  garden  of  his 
house  at  Milan,  weeping,  cried  out  :  '  How  long  wilt  Thou  be 
angry  ?  .  .  .  O  remember  not  my  old  sins,  but  have  mercy 
upon  me.'  After  which  he  heard  a  voice  saying,  '  ToUe, 
lege.' 

Verse  8.  O  remember  not  our  old  sins,  but  have  mercy  upon  us, 
a?id  that  soon. — A  cry  which  forms  an  echo  in  the  Litany  : 
*  Remember  not,  Lord,  our  offences,  nor  the  offences  of  our 
forefathers  ;  neither  take  Thou  vengeance  of  our  sins.' 

In  the  Church  of  England,  prior  to  the  Reformation,  this  was 
one  of  the  Psalms  appointed  for  All  Saints'  Day.  The  martyr 
tone  it  breathes  brings  it  into  close  connection  with  that  hymn 
of  martyrdom,  Heb.  xi.,  while  its  cry  to  the  Great  Judge  for 
justice  finds  a  parallel  in  that  of  the  souls  under  the  altar 
(Rev.  vi.  13). 

*  Psalm  Ixxix.  1-8.  f  Psalm  Ixxx.  3,  12,  14. 

X  Psalm  Ixxiv.  7,  I,  2  ;  §  6".  Francis  dc  Sales,  p.  64. 


PSALM  LXXX.  335 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  this  Festival  is  still  unprovided 
with  special  Psalms.  Bishop  Cosin  proposed  the  following  : 
Matins,  Psalms  i,  15,  84,  91;  Evensong,  Psalms  112,  113,  119 
(ist  part),  145,  149.* 

PSALM  LXXX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  for  Jahve's  vine. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  testimony  of  the  Church  as  a  '  lily 
among  thorns.' 

Origin  (Perowne). — As  in  the  case  of  most  of  the  historical 
Psalms,  so  in  the  case  of  this,  it  is  impossible  to  say  with 
certainty  at  what  period  it  was  written.  The  allusions  are 
never  sufficiently  definite  to  lead  to  any  positive  conclusion.  . .  . 
All  that  is  certain  is  that  the  time  was  a  time  of  great  disaster, 
that  the  nation  was  trampled  down  under  the  foot  of  foreign 
invaders. 

Verse  i.  Hear,  O  Thou  Shepherd  of  Israel,  Thou  that  leadest 
Joseph  like  a  sheep  ;  show  Thyself  also,  Thou  that  sittest  upon  the 
cherubims.  —  Theodoret  says  that  when  Julian,  Tyrant  and 
Apostate,  was  to  fight  his  last  battle  with  the  Persians,  on  the 
same  day  one  Julian,  surnamed  Saba,  a  religious  and  devout 
man,  prayed  that  God  would  preserve  His  Church  against  that 
Persecutor,  and  therefore  for  his  prayer  used  the  80th  Psalm  : 
*  Give  ear,  O  Shepherd  of  Israel,  and  Thou  that  leadest  Joseph 
like  a  flock ;  Thou  that  dwellest  between  the  cherubims,  shine  forth,' 
And  it  is  said  that  while  he  was  with  tears  repeating  this 
Psalm,  and  earnestly  beseeching  God  for  His  Church's  deliver- 
ance his  sorrowful  passion  was  suddenly  stayed,  and  an  extra- 
ordinary joy  possessed  his  heart.  Whereupon  some  devout 
friends,  who  it  seems  had  accompanied  him  in  that  work,  asked 
the  reason.       'Oh  now  (quoth  he)  that  Bore  of  the  Wood 

*  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  186. 


336  PSALM-MOSA ICS 

which  hath  wasted  the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord,  hath  received  his 
just  meed  for  contemning  Christ,  and  lyeth  now  dead,  never 
more  to  be  feared.  And  it  was  knowne  afterward,  that  the 
very  same  day,  and  as  neere  as  they  could  guesse  the  selfe-same 
houre  also,  wherein  Saba  prayed  the  8oth  Psalm  aforesayd,  he 
was  miserably  slaine,  no  doubt  by  the  immediate  judgment  of 
God  from  Heaven  ;  for,  being  not  in  the  Armie,  but  on  his 
journey,  he  embrued  his  hands  in  his  own  blood,  and  sprinkUng 
it  into  the  aire,  cryed  :  "  Thou  hast  overcome,  O  Galilean. 


»* 


Verse  1 3.  T/ie  zvild  boar  out  of  the  wood  doth  root  it  tip,  and 
the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  devour  it. — According  to  the  Talmud, 
the  middle  letter  of  the  word  rendered  '  wood '  in  this  verse  is 
the  middle  letter  of  the  Hebrew  Psalter,  and  it  is  a  conceit  of 
the  Jews  to  mark  this  middle  letter  by  suspending  it  above  the 
line  of  the  other  letters. 

The  compariso7is  derived  from  a?ii}uals,  with  which  the  Bible 
has  famiharized  us,  are  to  be  found  no  less  in  the  pages  of 
Shakespeare.  For  instance,  in  King  Hetiry  IV.,  the  description 
of  the  hostile  approach  of  Alcibiades — 

'  Who,  like  a  boa)'  too  savage  doth  root  up 
his  country's  peace' 

Act  v.,  Sc.  ii. 

— is  derived  from  the  Psalmist's  description  of  the  enemies  of 
Jerusalem  represented  as  a  vine  :  The  wild  boar  out  of  the  wood 
doth  root  it  up ;  a7id  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  devour  it. 
(Psalm  Ixxx.  13).! 

Verse  14.  Behold,  and  visit  tJiis  vine. — Archbishop  Warham, 
in  the  year  151 1,  and  in  the  eighth  year  of  his  primacy,  made 
a  careful  visitation  of  his  Diocese.  The  celebrated  Cuthbert 
Tonstal,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Archbishop,  accompanied  him 
throughout  his  visitation,  which  began  on  the  9th  of  September, 

*   A  Preparation  to  the  Psalter,  by  G.  Wither,  chap,  xiv.,  p.  130. 
t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  330. 


PSALM  LXXXI.  337 

in  the  chapter-house  of  the  Cathedral,  after  Mass  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  a  Latin  sermon  on  the  appropriate  text,  '  Behold, 
and  visit  this  vine.^* 


PSALM  LXXXL 

Headiiig  (Delitzsch).— Easter  Festival  Salutation  and  Dis- 
course. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph— by  which  David  pre- 
pared himself  for  the  Festivals  of  the  Lord. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  was  apparently  intended  to 
be  sung  at  one  or  more  of  the  great  national  Festivals.  There 
has,  however,  been  much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  par- 
ticular Festival  or  Festivals  for  which  it  was  originally  composed. 

/;/  Church. — This  Psalm  was  sung  in  the  second  Temple  on 
the  fifth  day  of  the  week.  It  was  also  sung  at  the  New  Year's 
Day  Morning  Service. 

Verse  i.  Si7ig  7ve  7nerriiy  unto  God  our  strength. — There  is  a 
trifling  error  in  the  Prayer-Book  rendering  of  this  verse,  corrected 
by  all  the  other  translations;  we  should  bej'^.f 

Verse  3.  Blow  up  the  trumpet  i7i  the  new  moon. — The  shophar 
is  especially  remarkable  as  being  the  only  instrument  which  has 
been  preserved  to  the  present  day  in  the  religious  services  of 
the  Jews.  It  is  still  blown,  as  in  time  of  old,  at  the  Jewish 
New  Year's  festival,  according  to  the  command  of  Moses. 
There  is  one  in  the  Great  Synagogue  in  London,  which  has 
this  verse  of  the  Psalm  inscribed  on  it.:}: 

Verse  6,  /  eased  his  shoulder  fro7n  the  burden :  a?id  his  hands 
were  delivered  from  making  the  pots, — Of  the  language  of  this 

*  Diocesan  History  of  Cajiterbiiry^  p.  220. 
f  Dr.  Neale's  Cotniiicntary^  vol.  iii.,  p.  2. 
X  History  of  Musu  (Engel),  p.  292. 

22 


338  PSALM-MOSAICS 

verse  a  remarkable  illustration  nieets  us  in  the  circumstances 
mentioned  by  Tholuck,  and  by  other  recent  commentators  on 
the  Psalter,  that  among  the  remaining  Egyptian  sculptures  have 
been  found  some  representing,  as  is  supposed,  the  Israelites 
with  the  vessels  in  which  they  carried  the  clay  and  the  tiles.* 

Verse  17.  He  should  have  fed  the)n  also  with  the  finest  wheat- 
fioiir. — On  account  of  this  verse,  this  Psalm  is  appointed  for 
recitation  on  the  Feast  of  Corpus  Christi,  with  this  verse  for 
the  Antiphon.f 


PSALM  LXXXII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — God's  judgment  upon  the  gods  of  the 
earth. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Asaph's  sermon  before  the  judges. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph — Reproof  of  the  wicked 
Jews. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  language  of  the  Psalm  is  so  general 
that  it  might  belong  to  any  period  of  the  history ;  and  the 
history  itself,  and  the  utterance  of  the  prophets,  show  us  that 
the  evil  here  denounced  was  not  the  evil  of  any  age,  but 
of  all. 

J  71  the  Jewish  Church. — This  Psalm  was  sung  in  the  Temple 
service  on  the  third  day  of  the  week  throughout  the  year.:|: 

Verse  i.  God  standeth  in  the  congregation  of  princes :  He  is  a 
Judge  among  gods. — In  the  reign  of  Henry  IV.  of  Germany,  the 
whole  empire  was  in  a  state  of  disorder.  There  were  two 
Emperors,  two  Popes,  and  in  every  bishopric  and  dukedom  two 
bishops  and  two  dukes.     At  length  civil  war  broke  out.     The 

*  Thrupp  on  The  Psalms,  vol.  ii.,  p.  51. 
+  Dr.  Neale's  Co77inientary^  vol.  iii.,  p.  14, 
+  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  277. 


PSALM  LXXXIII.  339 

first  engagement  at  Melrichstag  was  indecisive,  so  it  was  arranged 
that  another  battle  should  be  fought  at  Grona  on  the  Elster. 
Here  the  opposing  forces  assembled  in  1080.  Rudolf,  sup- 
ported by  Otho,  took  his  stand  at  the  head  of  his  army,  and, 
previous  to  the  engagement,  raised  the  Israelites'  song :  '  God 
standeth  in  the  congregation  of  princes :  He  is  a  Judge  among 
gods:  In  this  engagement  Rudolf  was  mortally  wounded,  and 
his  party,  thus  deprived  of  their  head,  gradually  dwindled  away, 
whilst  Henry's  party  increased  daily. 

x\  striking  illustration  of  the  whole  verse  is  afforded  by  that 
custom  of  the  ancient  Councils,  still  adhered  to  by  the  Holy 
Eastern  Church  in  all  solemn  assemblies,  of  placing  the  Book 
of  the  Gospels  in  their  midst,  as  a  symbol  of  the  unseen  pre- 
sence of  Christ.  And  when  accusations  against  some  Bishops 
were  offered  to  Constantine  the  Great  at  the  Council  of  Nice, 
he  tore  them  up,  saying :  'Ye  have  been  given  as  gods  to  us  by 
God,  and  it  is  not  fitting  that  a  man  should  judge  gods,  but 
only  He  of  whom  it  is  written,  God  standeth  in  the  synagogue  of 
the  gods :  He  is  a  Judge  among  gods. ''* 


PSALM  LXXXIII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).  — Battle-cry  to  God  against  allied  people. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — ^The  patriotic  poet  sings  again  of  wars  and 
dangers  imminent,  but  it  is  no  godless  song  of  a  thoughtless 
nation  entering  upon  war  with  a  light  heart. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph — a  supplication  to  God 
in  behalf  of  the  people  that  suffered  affliction,  and  a  prophecy 
concerning  the  dispersion  of  the  enemies  of  the  Lord. 

Origin  (Perowne). — We  know  of  no  period  in  the  history  of 
Israel  when  all  the  various  tribes  here  enumerated  were  united 
together  for  the  extermination  of  their  enemy.     The  annals 
*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  iS. 


340 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


have  preserved  no  record  of  a  confederacy  so  extensive.  Hence 
it  has  been  assumed  that  the  enumeration  in  the  Psahii  is 
merely  designed  to  subserve  the  purposes  of  poetry,  to  heighten 
the  colouring,  to  represent  the  danger  as  even  greater  and  more 
formidable  than  it  really  was. 

T/ie  Whole  Psalm. — Charles  Kingsley,  in  his  great  piece  of 
historical  painting,  '  Hypatia,'  gives  a  graphic  picture  of  the 
preaching  of  St.  Augustine,  which  no  one  at  all  acquainted  with 
either  his  exposition  of  the  Psalms,  of  the  Gospel  according  to 
St.  John,  or,  indeed,  of  any  of  his  writings,  will  think  at  all 
exaggerated.  He  was  preaching  to  a  mixed  multitude ;  he,  the 
master  of  ancient  rhetoric,  the  courtly  and  learned  student,  had 
before  him  not  merely  an  assemblage  of  monks,  but  of  rough 
soldiers — Thracians,  Gauls,  Belgians,  and  others.  Certainly, 
one  attentive  listener  wondered  what  the  great  Bishop  of  Hippo 
could  have  to  say  to  these,  and  then,  when  he  took  his  text 
from  a  Psalm  he  had  just  read — one  of  the  battle  Psalms  con- 
cerning Moab  and  xA.malek,  one  of  the  old  battle-cries  of 
Palestine — he  wondered  what  he  would  have  to  say  about  that. 
And  then  he  seemed  to  start  lamely  enough,  in  spite  of  the 
exquisite  grace  of  his  voice,  the  beauty  of  his  language,  and  the 
epigrammatic  terseness  of  his  sentences.  His  treatment  of  his 
text  at  first  seemed  like  fanciful  allegorizing  of  the  Psalm,  and 
yet  somehow  there  began  to  look  out  a  great  comprehensiveness 
of  purpose,  so  that  the  apparent  foolish  allegorizing  presently 
became  very  obviously  personal,  and  although  the  Edomites 
had  been  made  to  put  on  their  name  to  signify  one  sort  of  sin, 
the  Ammonites  another,  and  the  Amalekites  another,  the  hearer 
and  all  the  hearers  began  to  wince,  and  very  soon  to  confess 
that,  whether  Augustine  knew  truths  for  all  men  or  not,  he 
knew  sins  for  all  men,  for  himself  as  well  as  his  hearers. 

And  it  soon  became  clear  that  there  was  in  the  mind  of  the 
Father  a  real,  vital,  organic  connection  with  what  seemed  to  be 
an  arbitrary  allegory,  while  all  the  outward  people  of  the  Psalm 
represented  really  the  powers  and  people  of  the  soul ;  and  his 


PSALM  LXXXIII.  341 

hearers  were  taught  that  they  were  weak  against  Moors  and 
earthly  enemies,  because  they  were  weak  against  enemies  more 
deadly  than  Moors,  and  that  they  could  not  fight  for  God  out- 
wardly while  they  were  fighting  against  Him  inwardly.  He 
would  not  go  forth  with  their  hosts— how  could  He  ? — when  He 
was  not  amongst  their  hosts.  He,  a  Spirit,  must  dwell  in  their 
spirits,  and  the  shout  of  a  King  would  be  among  them,  and  one 
of  them  should  chase  a  thousand. 

We  have  always  regarded  this  passage  in  '  Hypatia '  as  a  fine 
reproduction  of  the  style  of  St.  Augustine  in  dealing  with  texts, 
and  it  is  very  interesting  to  notice  it,  for  this  great  master  of 
Western  theology  has,  more  or  less  unconsciously,  ruled  the 
method  of  the  pulpit  from  his  time,  and  it  is  only  in  ours  that 
it  has  known  decay  or  decline."" 

Benedict  Biscop  was  a  Saxon  of  noble  descent,  who  held  office 
under  King  Oswy,  and  had  been  endowed  by  him  with  an  estate 
suitable  to  his  dignity.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  renounced 
the  secular  hfe,  and  left  home,  kindred  and  country  for  Christ's 
sake  and  the  Gospel's,  declining  marriage  in  the  flesh  that  he 
might  follow  the  Virgin  Lamb  to  the  heavenly  country.  He 
received  the  tonsure  at  a  famous  monastery  at  Lerins,  a  small 
island  lying  off  the  south  coast  of  France.  On  his  return  to 
his  native  Northumbria,  the  King,  Egfrid,  gave  him  some  land 
on  the  north  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  River  Wear  on  which 
to  build  a  monastery.  Later  on  the  King  made  him  a  further 
grant  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tyne  to  build  a  second  monastery. 
This  was  J  arrow. 

Benedict  during  the  last  years  of  his  life  was  afflicted  with 
paralysis.  Three  years  he  survived  in  entire  helplessness,  the 
whole  lower  part  of  his  body  being,  as  it  were,  dead.  .  .  . 
It  was  a  cold  and  stormy  night  in  January  when  it  became 
clear  that  the  end  was  near  at  hand.  The  brethren  met  in  the 
church  to  solace  their  grief  by  singing  psalms,  while  some 
remained  with  the  dying  father.  All  the  night  through,  to 
*   The  Pulpit,  Ancient  and  Modern,  by  Paxton  Hood,  chap.  viii. 


342  PSALM-MOSAICS 

soothe  his  pain,  the  Gospel  was  read  by  a  presbyter.  When 
the  hour  of  his  departure  drew  near,  he  received  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  the  Lord  as  provision  for  his 
last  journey.  Then  he  quietly  passed  away.  It  was  hailed  as 
an  indication  that  his  exit  had  been  guarded  from  the  assaults 
of  evil  spirits,  that  at  the  moment  of  his  death  they  .were  singing 
in  the  Church  the  82nd  Psalm  (our  83rd)j  in  which  we  see  the 
enemies  of  God,  plotting  against  the  Church  and  every  believing 
soul,  put  to  utter  confusion  by  the  Lord,  to  whom  none  is  to 
be  compared,  who  only  is  the  Most  High  over  all  the  earth.* 

Two  Cardinals  of  viedicEval  times  (Joannes  Vitalis  and  Hugo 
of  St.  Cher)  interpret  this  text  of  the  nepotism  of  great  nobles, 
ecclesiastical  and  lay,  making  the  dignities,  benefices  and  goods 
of  the  Church  the  hereditary  feoffs  of  their  families,  the 
appanages  of  their  children;  and  the  latter  of  them  applies  his 
censure  more  particularly  to  the  greed  of  the  Roman  Court  of 
his  day,  averring  that  the  Romans  not  only  kept  the  Popedom 
in  their  own  hands,  but  nominated  some  of  themselves  to 
every  vacant  prebend  in  Christendom,  to  the  injury  of  episcopal 
rights  and  the  ruin  of  the  Church.  Lorinus  hints  at  this 
passage,  but  is  too  discreet  to  quote  it,  recommending  his 
hearers  to  peruse  it  for  themselves,  f 

Verse  13.   O  my  God,  make  the^n  liJze  u?ito  a  wheels  ajid  as 

the  stubbie   before   tlie  wind. — An   Eastern  traveller,   formerly 

resident  in  Syria,  sends  the  following  illustration  of  the  term 

'  a  rolling  thing,'  occurring  in  these  passages  :  '  What  are  these 

light  balls  that  come   rolling  before  the  wind  over  the  plain 

of  Syria,  leaping,  bounding,  hurrying  on,  driven  by  the  eddying 

blast,  charging  in  our  face,  and  frightening  our  sober  horses? 

They  are,  probably,  the  "  rolling  thing  "  mentioned  by  Isaiah, 

and  also,  we  think,  by  David.     "  God  shall  rebuke  them,  and 

they  shall  flee  far  off,  and  shall  be  chased  as  the  chaff  of  the 

mountains  before  the  wind,  and  like  a  rolling  thing  before  the 

*  Diocesan  History  of  Durham,  p.  72. 
■("  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  31. 


PSALM  LXXXIII.  343 

whirlwind"  (Isaiah  xvii.  13).  So  in  the  thirteenth  verse  of 
Psalm  Ixxxiii.,  "  O  my  God^  make  them  like  a  wheel  (or  rolling 
thing),  as  the  stubble  before  the  windy  This  is  just  like  a 
modern  Arab  imprecation,  "  May  you  be  whirled  like  the 
Akhil  before  the  wind,  until  you  are  caught  in  the  thorns, 
or  plunged  in  the  sea."  The  Akkid,  the  "rolling  thing,"  the 
Hebrew  gulgal,  is  the  wild  artichoke.  This  vegetable  is 
chewed  by  the  native  Syrians,  although  it  is  very  insipid.  The 
plant,  in  growing,  sends  out  numerous  shoots  of  equal  size, 
which  form  into  a  kind  of  ball,  about  a  foot  in  diameter. 
When  the  sap  of  the  vegetable  ceases  in  autumn,  and  the 
whole  plant  is  dry  and  brittle,  the  stem  easily  breaks  off  at 
the  ground,  so  that  a  blast  of  wind  severs  the  ball  from  the 
root,  and  sends  it  adrift.  Then  hundreds  and  thousands  come 
bounding  over  the  plain,  along  with  the  chaff  of  the  threshing- 
floors,  to  the  great  perturbation  of  the  brute  creation  and  the 
annoyance  of  travellers.  So  are  the  wicked  when  God  forces 
them  from  all  restraints  of  conscience,  and  sends  them  adrift, 
"  seeking  rest,  and  finding  none,"  till  they  fall  into  some  mis- 
chief, and  miserably  perish.' 

Verse  16.  Then  understood  I  the  e fid  of  these  men. — There  is 
a  famous  story  of  Providence  in  Bradwardine  to  this  purpose  : 
A  certain  hermit  that  was  much  tempted,  and  was  utterly 
unsatisfied  concerning  the  providence  of  God,  resolved  to 
journey  from  place  to  place  till  he  met  with  someone  who 
could  satisfy  him.  An  angel  in  the  shape  of  a  man  joined 
himself  with  him,  telling  him  that  he  was  sent  from  God  to 
satisfy  him  in  his  doubts  of  Providence.  The  first  night  they 
lodged  at  the  house  of  a  very  holy  man,  and  they  spent  their 
time  in  discourses  of  heaven,  and  praises  of  God,  and  were 
entertained  with  a  great  deal  of  freedom  and  joy.  In  the 
morning,  when  they  departed,  the  angel  took  with  him  a  great 
cup  of  gold.  The  next  night  they  came  to  the  house  of 
another  holy  man,  who  made  them  very. welcome,  and  exceed- 
ingly  rejoiced   in   their    society   and   discourse.     The   angel. 


344  PSALM-MOSAICS 

notwithstanding,  at  his  departure  killed  an  infant  in  the  cradle, 
which  was  his  only  son,  he  having  been  for  many  years  before 
childless,  and  therefore  was  a  very  fond  father  of  this  child. 
The  third  night  they  came  to  another  house,  where  they  had 
like  free  entertainment  as  before.  The  master  of  the  family 
had  a  steward  whom  he  highly  prized,  and  told  them  how 
happy  he  accounted  himself  in  having  such  a  faithful  servant. 
Next  morning  he  sent  this  his  steward  with  them  part  of  the 
way,  to  direct  them  therein.  As  they  were  going  over  the 
bridge  the  angel  flung  the  steward  into  the  river  and  drowned 
him.  The  last  night  they  came  to  a  very  wicked  man's  house, 
where  they  had  very  untoward  entertainment ;  yet  the  angel, 
next  morning,  gave  him  the  cup  of  gold.  All  this  being  done, 
the  angel  asked  the  hermit  whether  he  understood  those 
things  ?  He  answered  his  doubts  of  Providence  were  in- 
creased, not  resolved,  for  he  could  not  understand  why  he 
should  deal  so  hardly  with  those  holy  men,  who  received  them 
with  so  much  love  and  joy,  and  yet  give  such  a  gift  to  that 
wicked  man  who  used  them  so  unworthily.  The  angel  said, 
'  I  will  now  expound  these  things  unto  you.  The  first  house 
where  we  came  the  master  of  it  was  a  holy  man  ;  yet,  drink- 
ing in  that  cup  every  morning,  it  being  too  large,  it  did  some- 
what unfit  him  for  holy  duties,  though  not  so  much  that 
others  or  himself  did  perceive  it ;  so  I  took  it  away,  since  it 
is  better  for  him  to  lose  the  cup  of  gold  than  his  temperance. 
The  master  of  the  family  where  we  lay  the  second  night  was 
a  man  given  much  to  prayer  and  meditation,  and  spent  much 
time  in  holy  duties,  and  was  very  liberal  to  the  poor  all  the 
time  he  was  childless ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had  a  son  he  grew 
so  fond  of  it,  and  spent  so  much  time  in  playing  with  it,  that 
he  exceedingly  neglected  his  former  holy  exercise,  and  gave 
but  little  to  the  poor,  thinking  he  could  never  lay  up  enough 
for  his  child  ;  therefore  I  have  taken  the  infant  to  heaven,  and 
left  him  to  serve  God  better  on  earth.  The  steward,  whom 
I  did  drown,  had  plotted  to  kill  his  master  the  night  following  ; 
and  as  to  that  wicked  man  to  w^hom  I  gave  the  cup  of  gold. 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  345 

he  was  to  have  nothing  in  the  other  world,  I  therefore  gave 
him  something  in  this,  which,  notwithstanding,  will  prove  a 
snare  to  him,  for  he  will  be  more  intemperate ;  and  "  let  him 
that  is  filthy  be  filthy  still." ' 

The  truth  of  this  story  I  affirm  not,  but  the  moral  is  very 
good,  for  it  shows  that  God  is  an  indulgent  Father  to  the 
Saints  when  He  most  afflicts  them,  and  that  when  He  sets  the 
wicked  on  high,  He  sets  them  also  in  slippery  places,  and  their 
prosperity  is  their  ruin.* 

PSALM  LXXXIV. 

Beading  (Delitzsch).— Longing  for  the  house  of  God  and 
for  the  happiness  of  dwelling  there. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— The  Pearl  of  Psalms.  If  the  xxiii.  be  the 
most  popular,  the  ciii.  the  most  joyful,  the  cxix.  the  most 
deeply  experimental,  the  li.  the  most  plaintive,  this  is  one  of 
the  most  sweet  of  the  Psalms  of  peace. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah.  The 
message  of  David  when  he  went  from  Zion  to  worship  in  the 
House  of  God.  Also  said  to  be  a  prophecy  concerning  the 
Messiah,  and  concerning  His  Church. 

Origin  (Perowne).— In  its  general  character  this  Psalm  very 
nearly'resembles  Psalms  xlii.,  xliii.  Like  that,  it  is  the  ardent 
outpouring  of  a  man  of  no  common  depth  and  tenderness  of 
feeling,  the  expression  of  a  devoted  love  for  the  house  and 
worship  of  Jehovah.  Like  that,  it  is  written  under  circum- 
stances of  suffering  and  depression,  at  a  time  when  the 
Psalmist  was  in  exile  or  at  a  distance  from  the  Sanctuary. 
Like  that,  it  touches  and  pictures  the  crowd  of  pilgrims  on 
their  way  to  the  Holy  City.  In  both  Psalms  there  is  the  same 
deep  pathos,  the  same  '  exquisite  delicacy  and  tenderness  of 
*  A  Treatise  of  the  Power  of  Godliness,  by  Thomas  White. 


346  PSALM-MOSAICS 

thought ;'  in  both,  the  same  strain   of  remembrance  and  of 
anticipation,  half  sad,  half  joyful.   .  .  . 

From  the  general  likeness  in  structure  and  sentiment,  and 
colouring  of  language,  and  yet  perfect  distinctness  and 
originality  of  the  two  Poems,  Evvald  is  doubtless  right  in  con- 
cluding that  both  are  by  the  same  author.  Whether  he  is 
right  in  inferring  from  verse  nine  (ten)  of  this  Psalm  that  the 
author  was  a  king,  has  been  questioned.  Ewald  supposes  the 
king  to  have  been  Jehoiachin  (or  Jeconiah). 

The  Whole  Psalm. — See  Francis  Henry  Lyte's  beautiful 
version  of  this  Psalm  (No.  240,  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern). 

'  Pleasant  are  Thy  courts  above, 
In  the  land  of  light  and  love  ; 
Pleasant  are  Thy  courts  below, 
In  this  land  of  sin  and  woe  : 
Oh,  my  spirit  longs  and  faints 
For  the  converse  of  Thy  Saints, 
For  the  brightness  of  Thy  Face, 
For  Thy  fulness,  God  of  grace.' 

Psalm  of  Preparation. — The  Psalms  present  the  Christian 
worshipper  with  a  wealth  of  strains  which  fit  themselves  in 
every  part  of  his  connections.  The  84th  Psalm  is  his  prepara- 
tion before,  the  150th  his  thanksgiving  after.  The  23rd  is 
literally  his  Communion  Hymn. 

In  Church:  the  Greek  Chwxh. — This  Psalm,  together 
with  the  23rd  and  145th,  is  sung  by  the  choir  in  the  Graeco- 
Russian  Church  at  the  consecration  of  a  Church,  and  at  the 
washing  of  the  Altar  Throne  (for  particulars  of  this  see  on 
Psalm  xxiii.). 

It  is  also  one  of  the  Psalms  at  the  Burial  of  Priests  in  the 
Holy  Eastern  Church. 

In  the  Roman  Church  at  the  Consecration  of  Bishops  this 
Psalm  may  be  used. 

Verse  i.  O  hoiu  a?mable  are  Thy  dwellings,  Thou  Lord  of 
hosts  ! — Paulla,  the  friend  of  Jerome,  was  seen  by  those  who 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  347 

were  gathered  around  her  in  her  last  hour  to  move  her  hps, 
and  when  they  stooped  to  Hsten,  they  heard  the  words :  '  Mow 
lovely  are  Thy  tabernacles^  O  Lord  of  hosts'* 

Verses  i,  2.  O  how  aijiiable  are  Thy  dwelli?igs,  Thou  Lord 
of  hosts  !  My  soul  hath  a  desire  and  longing  to  enter  into  the 
courts  of  the  Lord. — At  an  early  period  in  his  life,  before  1591, 
when  he  took  his  doctor's  degree,  S.  Francis  de  Sales'  career 
was  threatened  to  be  cut  short  by  a  serious  illness ;  rheumatic 
fever,  induced,  perhaps,  by  too  great  carelessness  of  personal 
comfort,  laid  him  low  in  exceeding  suffering,  and  at  last  the 
poor  Abbe  Deage,  hearing  from  several  physicians  whom  he 
had  summoned  that  there  was  little  hope  of  their  patient's 
recovery,  found  himself  constrained  to  tell  the  pupil — whom 
he  loved  as  his  own  child — that  his  days  were  numbered. 
'  My  son,'  he  said,  striving  to  conceal  his  emotion,  'if  God 
saw  fit  to  call  you  to  Himself,  you  would  accept  His  Holy 
^Vill  meekly,  would  you  not  ?'  Francis  instantly  caught  the 
Abbe's  meaning,  and  replied :  '  Most  surely.  God's  Will  be 
done,  whether  for  life  or  death.  It  is  very  sweet  to  live  for 
Christ,  and  very  sweet,  too,  to  die  for  Him.'  And  he  quoted 
the  words  : 

'  Sive  mori  me,  Christe,  jubes,  seu  vivere  maris, 
Dulce  mihi  tecum  vivere  ;  dulce  mori.' 

After  a  while  he  went  on  pouring  out  his  soul  in  the  words  of 
Holy  Writ,  '  O  how  afniable  are  Thy  dwelli?igs,  Thou  Lord  of 
hosts  I  My  soul  hath  a  desire  and  longi?ig  to  e?iter  into  the  courts 
of  the  Lord.\  All  my  days  will  I  wait  until  my  appointed 
time  come.  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation ;  of 
whom  then  shall  I  be  afraid  ?|  Blessed  is  he  whose  hope  is 
in  the  Lord  his  God.'§  Seeing  him  so  calm  and  restful,  the 
Abbe  Deage  ventured  to  ask  as  to  Francis's  wishes  in  the 
event  of  his  death,  which  were  immediately  given,  and  then 
the  patient  received  the  last  Sacraments,  and  each  hour  was 

'■■   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  38. 

t  Psalm  Ixxxiv.  I,  2.  %  Psalm  xxvii.  i.  §  Psalm  cxlvi.  5. 


348  PSALM -MOSAICS 

looked  upon  as  his  last.  But  God  willed  otherwise ;  the 
malady  subsided,  and  Francis  recovered  perfect  health,  and 
with  it  a  firmer  conviction  than  ever  in  his  vocation  to  the 
priesthood.* 

Charles  Kingsley. — It  was  a  happy  circumstance,  and  an 
important  one  to  Charles  Kingsley,  that  Chester  was  the  first 
cathedral  with  which  he  was  connected.  Choral  services  had 
hitherto  had  little  attraction  for  him,  the  slovenliness  which 
in  bygone  years  characterized  them  having  shocked  him  from 
the  aesthetic,  and  still  more  from  the  religious,  point  of  view. 
Had  this  been  the  case  at  Chester,  it  would  have  been  a 
serious  drawback  to  the  happiness  of  his  life  while  there. 
But  there  all  was  in  harmony  with  his  ideal  of  Christian 
worship.  And  it  filled  the  new  Canon's  heart  with  thankfulness 
that  the  lot  had  fallen  to  him  in  a  cathedral  where  the  dignity 
^  of  the  services,  the  reverence  of  all  who  conducted  them,  from 
its  visitor.  Bishop  Jacobson,  much  beloved,  down  to  the  '  little 
chorister'  boys,  impressed  him  deeply:  where  not  only  the 
Dean,  but  all  the  officials,  worked  earnestly  to  one  end ;  and 
he  could  say  with  truth,  as  day  by  day  he  entered  the  venerable 
/  cloisters,  '  How  amiable  are  Thy  d^vellijigs^  O  Lord,  Thou  God 
of  hosts  I  My  soul  hath  a  desire  and  longing  to  enter  ifito  the 
courts  of  the  Lord,  for  one  day  in  Thy  courts  is  better  than  a 
thousa?id.^\ 

Verse  3.  Yea,  the  sparroiv  hath  found  her  ari  house,  and  the 
sivalloiv  a  ?iest,  where  she  may  lay  her  yomig,  eve?i  Thy  altars, 
O  Lord  of  hosts,  my  King  and  my  God. — Crashaw,  the  poet, 
was  a  great  friend  of  the  Ferrars  at  Little  Gidding,  and  his 
tender,  affectionate,  enthusiastic  spirit  was  at  once  attracted 
by  their  life  of  devotion.  At  Gidding  he  found  his  ideal 
'  Religious  House '  in  a  visible  shape. 

*  S.  Francis  de  Sales,  p.  27. 
t   Charles  Kingsley,  p.  238. 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  349 

'Walks  and  unshorn  woods,  and  souls,  just^so 
Unforced  and  genuine  ;  but  not  shady  tho'; 

*  *  *  * 
Our  lodging  hard,  and  homely  as  our  fare. 

That  chaste  and  cheap  as  the  few  clothes  we  wear. 

*  *  *  * 
A  hasty  portion  of  prescribed  sleep, 
Obedient  slumbers  that  can  wake  and  weep,_ 
And  sing,  and  sigh,  and  work,  and  sleep  again, 
Still  rowling  a  round  sphear  of  still  returning  pam. 
Hands  full  of  hearty  labours.  .  .  . 

Reverent  discipline,  and  religious  fear. 
And  soft  obedience  finds  sweet  hiding  here, 
Silence  and  sacred  rest  ;  peace  and  pure  joys. 

The  self-remembering  soul  sweetly  recovers 

Her  kindred  with  the  stars,  nor  basely  hovers 

Below,  but  meditates  her  immortal  way,  ,   ,      , 

Home  to  the  original  source  of  light  and  mtellectual  day. 

Crashaw's  sympathy  with  the  hfe  of  Gidding  was  not  expressed 
in  words  alone.     He  was  himself  often  to  be  found  among 

those 

'  Holy  hands  and  humble  hearts  ' 

of  whom  he  sings,  delighting  to  join  in  their  prayers  and 
watchings,  and  when  in  Cambridge  his  leisure  time  was  spent 
'in  the  temple  of  God,  under  His  wing,'  in  'St.  Marie's 
Church,  near  St.  Peter's  College.  There  he  lodged  under 
Tertullian's  roof  of  angels  ;  there  he  made  his  rest  more  gladly 
iha7i  David's  swallow  near  the  house  of  God,  where,  like  a 
primitive  saint,  he  offered  more  prayers  in  the  night  than 
others  in  the  day.'^'^ 

Verse  4.  Blessed  are  they  that  dwell  in  Thy  house:  they  7vill 
be  always  praising  Thee.—St.  Bre^idan.—They  sailed  away 
from  the  Paradise  of  Birds  with  forty  days'  provision,  the 
man  being  their  guide  (the  man  who  always  tended  them, 
and  who  now  said  he  would  lead  them  to  the  land  promised 
to  the  saints),  till  after  forty  days  they  came  at  evening  to  a 
areat  darkness  which  lay  round  the  Promised  Land.  But  after 
saiUng  through  it  for  an  hour,  a  great  light  shone  round  them, 
*  Life  of  Nicholas  Ferrar,  p.  238. 


350  PSALM-MOSAICS 

and  the  boat  stopped  at  a  shore.  And  when  landed,  they  saw 
a  spacious  land,  full  of  trees,  bearing  fruit  as  in  autumn  time. 
And  they  walked  about  that  land  forty  days,  eating  of  the 
fruit  and  drinking  of  the  fountains,  and  found  no  end  thereof. 
And  there  was  no  night  there,  but  light  shone  like  the  light  of 
the  sun.  At  last  they  came  to  a  great  river,  which  they  could 
not  cross,  so  that  they  could  not  find  out  the  extent  of  the 
land.  And  as  they  w^ere  pondering  over  this,  a  youth  with 
shining  face,  and  fair  to  look  upon,  met  them  and  kissed  them 
with  great  joy,  calling  them  each  by  his  name,  and  said  : 
'  Brethren,  peace  be  with  you,  and  with  all  that  follow  the 
peace  of  Christ.'  And  after  that,  '  Blessed  are  they  that  dwell 
in  Thy  house,  O  Lord:  they  shall  be  for  ever  praising  Thee.' 

Then  he  told  St.  Brendan  that  that  was  the  land  he  had 
been  seeking  for  seven  years,  and  that  he  must  now  return  to 
his  own  country,  taking  of  the  fruits  of  the  land,  and  of  its 
precious  gems,  as  much  as  his  ship  could  carry,  for  the  days 
of  his  departing  were  at  hand,  when  he  should  sleep  in  peace 
with  his  holy  brethren.* 

Blessed  are  they  that  dwell  in  Thy  house.  —  That  year 
he  received  the  tonsure,  which  was  a  great  joy  to  him.  He 
wished  very  much  for  it,  but  did  not  dare  ask  for  it,  think- 
ing himself  unworthy.  M.  Gosselin  (his  director  at  that  time) 
took  the  initiative.  M.  Borderies,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Ver- 
sailles, was  the  '  father  and  master  of  his  soul,'  w^hile  M.  de 
Rohan  was  an  '  incomparable  friend  and  protector '  so  says 
the  biographer.  The  Due  de  Rohan,  who  was  then  a  deacon 
waiting  for  priest's  orders,  wrote  to  him  the  following  affec- 
tionate letter  the  night  before  : 

' .  .  .  You  are  about  to  take  your  first  step  towards  the 
altar  of  God,  to  God  who  giveth  joy  to  your  youth.  Oh,  my 
dear  Felix,  rejoice  with  gladness  and  love  for  our  dear  Lord, 
who  treats  you  with  such  mercy.  In  a  few  hours  He  will  be 
the  portion  of  your  inheritance.  .  .  .  His  house  will  be  your 

*  The  Hermits,  by  C.  Kingsley,  p.  276. 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  351 

refuge.  His  altar  your  delight  and  your  repose.  Happy  those 
who  make  their  dwelling-place  with  Thee,  O  Lord  \—Beati 
qici  habitant  in  domo  tua  Doinijie.  Oh,  my  dear  friend,  what 
a  beautiful,  happy,  sublime  vocation  !  How  delicious  are  Thy 
tabernacles,  O  Lord  of  hosts.  Say  this  with  the  prophet-king: 
Thy  altars,  O  my  God.  You  see  them  from  afar  off.  I  have 
already  passed  the  first  stages ;  one  step  only  remains  for  me 
to  find  myself  in  the  very  face  of  my  God.  Would  that  I  had 
many  worlds  to  offer  Him  in  sacrifice,  to  lay  at  His  feet,  and 
at  the  foot  of  His  altar,  on  that  day ! 

'  And  now,  my  dear  child,  courage,  generosity  !  Go  forward 
with  confidence  towards  the  house  of  the  Lord.  Draw  near 
to  His  altar  to  lay  there  the  spoils  of  the  world  and  clothe 
yourself  with  Jesus  Christ.  In  Him,  for  Him,  with  Him, 
I  embrace  you  with  all  the  tenderness  of  my  heart.  Again, 
I  close  this  letter  by  repeating  the  words  :  "  Become  a  saint J^  '* 

Verse  6.  Who  going  through  the  vale  of  misery  use  it  for  a 
well. — All  the  ancient  versions  render  'Baca'  (misery)  by 
'  weeping.'  Burckhardt  tells  us  that  he  found  a  valley  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Sinai  which  bore  the  name  of  '  the  valley 
of  weeping. 't 

Verse  11.  /  had  rather  be  a  doorkeeper  in  the  house  of  my 
God :  than  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  ungodliness. — Bossuet  and 
Bonar  remark  that  this  sentiment  would  come  appropriately 
from  the  lips  of  the  Korahites,  some  of  whom  were  employed 
to  keep  the  gates  of  the  sanctuary  (i  Chron.  ix.  19).  But  the 
Korahite  psalmist  spoke  in  the  name  of  the  Israelite  pilgrims, 
and  the  visiting  in  God's  house  contrasts  better  with  the 
dwelling  in  the  tents  of  wickedness.; 

On  the  love  which  the  Saints  have  shown  for  the  lowliest 
tasks  in  God's  house,  let  us  hear  St.  Paulinus  of  Nola  : 


*  Life  of  Mgr.  Dupanloiip,  Bishop  of  Orleans,  p.  43. 

f    77^1?  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  120. 

%  Thrupp  on  The  Fsahns,  vol.  i.,  p.  38. 


352  PSALM-MOSAICS 

*  There  easy  yokes,  light  burden,  service  soft 
We  shall  have  with  Thee,  Lord,  although  no  need 
Hast  Thou,  the  Righteous,  of  ungodly  slaves  ; 
But  Thou  wilt  suffer,  and  wilt  love  all  those 
Vowed  to  Thee  by  Christ's  gift  to  serve  at  morn, 
Cleansing  Thy  gates  and  thresholds,  and  at  night 
Keeping  pure  watch  by  turns,  and  in  this  charge 
Closing  a  holy  life  with  worn-out  frame.' 

Even  heathens  were  not  insensible  to  this  kind  of  happiness. 
The  Greek  poet  (Euripid.,  '  Ion,'  128)  makes  his  hero  sing,  as 
he  sweeps  the  threshold  of  Apollo's  temple  : 

'  A  pleasant  task,  O  Phcebus,  I  discharge 
Before  thine  house,  in  reverence  of  thy  seat 
Of  prophecy,  an  honoured  task  to  me, 
To  give  my  hand  in  service  to  the  gods, 
Not  unto  mortals,  but  immortal  ones. 
And  labouring  in  such  blessed  tasks  as  these 
I  weary  not.'* 

Ferse  12.  No  good  t/ii/ig  shall  He  withhold  from  them  that 
live  a  godly  life. — When  Thomas  Carlyle  was  leaving  in  doubt 
and  despondency  his  quiet  mountain  home  at  Craigenputtock 
for  the  untried  tumult  of  London,  he  quoted  part  of  this  verse 
for  comfort  to  his  brother  Alexander  and  himself,  but  mingled 
it  with  the  words  of  another  passage,  Rom.  viii.  28.  It  must 
be  confessed  that  his  accuracy  in  Scripture  knowledge  is  not 
so  remarkable  as  in  some  other  matters,  and  he  himself  would 
have  owned  that  the  exact  words  of  the  Psalmist  are  more 
suited  to  his  philosophy  than  those  of  the  Apostle.  Yet  his 
faith  in  its  core  is  Christian  :  '  I  turned  my  thoughts  heaven- 
ward, for  it  is  in  heaven  only  that  I  find  any  basis  for  our  poor 
pilgrimage  on  this  earth.  Surely  as  the  blue  dome  of  heaven 
encircles  us  all,  so  does  the  providence  of  the  Lord  of 
heaven.  "  He  ivill  withhold  710  good  things  fro??i  those  that 
lore  HimT  This,  as  it  was  the  ancient  Psalmist's  faith,  let 
it  likewise  be  ours.  It  is  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  I  reckon, 
of  all  possessions  that  can  belong  to  man.'f 

*  Dr.  Neale's  CovifJientary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  50. 

t    The  Psahns  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  112. 


PSALM  LXXXV.  353 


PSALM  LXXXV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Petition  of  the  hitherto  favoured 
people  for  a  restoration  of  favour. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— The  prayer  of  a  patriot  for  his  afflicted 
country. 

Co?ife?its  {^yr'mc). — A  Psalm  of  the  sons  of  Korah  ;  the  re- 
compense and  the  deliverance  which  they  had  from  God,  and 
a  prophecy  concerning  the  Messiah. 

Ongi?i  (Perowne). — There  seems  every  reason  to  conclude 
that  this  Psalm  was  written  after  the  return  of  the  exiles  from 
the  Babylonish  Captivity. 

In  Church, — This  is  the  third  Psalm  at  Matins  for  Christmas 
Day.  The  Nativity  of  our  Lord  was  the  true  turning  away  the 
captivity  of  His  people,  inasmuch  as  He  came  '  to  preach 
deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  the  recovery  of  the  sight  to  the 
blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised.'  And  as  His 
first  coming  evermore  includes  and  looks  onwards  to  the 
second,  so  in  this  Psalm  the  prophet  looks  beyond  the  present 
deliverance  to  one  more  complete  and  blessed  still,  even  to  the 
setting  up  on  earth  of  that  kingdom  of  righteousness  and  peace 
which,  however  dim  it  may  have  appeared  in  vision  to  his 
eyes,  has  been  now  brought  near  in  all  its  loveliness  to  those 
who  wait  for  it  and  are  hastening  its  coming.* 

Verse  ii.  jyidh  shall  flourish  out  of  the  earthy  and  righteous- 
7iess  hath  looked  down  from  heaven. — This  is  the  verse  which, 
in  the  Vulgate  form  of  the  past  tense,  supplies  the  Antiphon 
for  the  Psalm  in  its  use  throughout  the  Western  Church  on 
Christmas  Day.  Truth,  the  Very  Truth,  the  Son  of  God,  hath 
sprung  out  of  the  earth,  hath  been  born  of  His  Virgin  Mother  ; 

*  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  169. 

23 


354  PSALM.MOSAICS 

righteotisness  looked  down  from  heaven  when  the  Eternal  Word 
stooped  from  His  throne  of  glory,  and  united  Himself  in 
hypostatic  union  to  the  nature  of  man.^ 


PSALM  LXXXVI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  of  a  persecuted  saint. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — This  Psalm  would  seem  to  have  been 
specially  known  as  David's  Prayer,  even  as  the  ninetieth  is 
the  '  Prayer  of  Moses.' 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  built  a  house 
to  the  Lord  ;  a  prophecy  also  of  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles  ; 
and,  again,  the  special  prayer  of  the  righteous  man. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  the  only  one  in  the  Third 
Book  ascribed  to  David.  That  it  was  written  by  him  we  can 
hardly  suppose.  Many  of  the  expressions  are,  no  doubt,  such 
as  we  meet  with  in  his  Psalms,  but  there  are  also  many  which 
are  borrowed  from  other  passages  of  Scripture.  Indeed,  the 
numerous  adaptations  of  phrases  employed  by  other  writers 
may  reasonably  be  taken  as  evidence  of  a  much  later  date. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Latin  and 
Sarum  Use  for  the  Festival  of  the  Epiphany,  or  Manifestation 
of  Christ  to  the  Gentiles  (see  verse  9) :  '  All  nations  whom 
Thou  hast  made  shall  come  and  worship  before  Thee.'t 

It  is  appointed  in  the  Roman  Office  for  the  Visitation  of  the 
Sick.t 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  great  scholar,  Casaubon,  whose 
life  has  recently  been  made  of  such  interest  to  Oxford  men  by 
a  writer  who  singularly  combines  industry  with  refinement,  was 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Comf>ie?itary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  62. 
+  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  136. 
i  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  279. 


PSALM  LXXXVI. 


355 


going  to  the  Huguenot  worship  at  Charenton  in  an  open 
barge,  August  20th,  1668.  A  heavy  boat  ran  in  astern.  His 
wife  fell  over  into  the  Seine,  but  he  pulled  her  in  after  almost 
losing  his  own  life.  At  the  same  time  he  dropped  into  the 
river  his  Psalm-book,  the  gift  of  his  wife,  his  constant  com- 
panion for  twenty-two  years,  out  of  which  they  were  singing 
the  86th  Psalm  when  the  accident  occurred.  '  I  could  not  but 
remember,'  says  Casaubon  in  his  journals,  'that  place  of 
Ambrose  where  he  says — This  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  Psalter, 
that  everyone  can  use  its  words,  as  if  they  were  peculiarly  and 
individually  his  own.'* 

Spurgeon  trenchantly  says  :  '  The  name  of  God  occurs  very 
frequently  in  this  Psalm ;  sometimes  it  is  Jehovak,  but  more 
commonly  Adonai,  which  it  is  believed  by  many  learned 
scholars  was  written  by  the  Jewish  transcribers,  instead  of  the 
subhmer  title,  because  their  superstitious  dread  led  them  to  do 
so ;  we,  labouring  under  no  such  tormenting  fear,  rejoice  in 
Jehovah  our  God.  It  is  singular  that  those  who  were  so  afraid 
of  their  God  that  they  dared  not  write  His  name,  had  yet  so 
little  godly  fear  that  they  dared  to  alter  His  word.' 

Verse  9.  All  stations  whom  Thou  hast  made  shall  come 
aJid  worship  Thee^  O  Lord,  and  shall  glorify  Thy  Name. 
— St.  Augustine  applies  this  verse  to  a  refutation  of  the 
Donatists,  who  held  that  the  true  faith  of  the  Catholic  Church 
was  limited  to  one  corner  of  Africa. 

Verse  11.  O  knit  my  heart  u7ito  Thee,  that  I  may  fear  Thy 
Name. 

'  Give  Me  thine  heart  but  as  I  gave  it  thee  ; 
Or  give  it  Me  at  least  as  I 
Have  given  Mine 
To  purchase  thine. 
I  halv'd  it  not  when  I  did  die, 
But  gave  Myself  to  set  thee  free. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Comfucntary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  66. 


-56  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'  The  heart  I  gave  thee  was  a  living  heart ; 
And  when  thy  heart  by  sin  was  slain, 
I  laid  down  Mine 
To  ransom  thine, 
That  thy  dead  heart  might  live  again. 
And  live  entirely  perfect,  not  in  part. 

'  But  whilst  thine  heart's  divided,  it  is  dead  : 
Dead  unto  Me,  unless  it  live 
To  Me  alone, 
It  is  all  one 
To  keep  all,  and  a  part  to  give  ; 
For  what's  a  body  worth  without  an  head  ? 

•  Yet  this  is  worse,  that  what  thou  keep'st  from  Me 
Thou  dost  bestow  upon  My  foes  ; 
And  those  not  Mine 
Alone,  but  thine  ; 
The  proper  causes  of  thy  woes, 
From  whom  I  gave  My  life  to  set  thee  free. 

'  Have  I  betroth'd  thee  to  Myself,  and  shall 
The  devil  and  the  world  intrude 
Upon  My  right 
E'en  in  My  sight  ? 
Think  not  thou  canst  Me  so  delude  : 
I  will  have  none,  unless  I  may  have  all. 

'  I  made  it  all,  I  gave  it  all  to  thee, 
I  gave  all  that  I  had  for  it ; 
If  I  must  lose, 
I'd  rather  choose 
My  interest  in  all  to  quit  : 
Or  keep  it  whole,  or  give  it  whole  to  Me.'* 


PSALM  LXXXVII. 

^m^/;^^  (Delitzsch). — The  city  of  the  new  birth  of  the  nations. 

Ti^/e  (Spurgeon). — A  song  in  honour  of  Zion  or  Jerusalem. 

Co7itents    (Syriac). — Concerning    the    redemption    of    Jeru- 
salem. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — There  are  two  principal  epochs  to  which 
the  Psalm  may  be  referred : 

*  The  School  of  the  Heart,  by  Francis  Quarles. 


PSALM  LXXXVII.  357 

1.  Its  tone  falls  in  with  that  of  some  of  the  prophecies  of 
Isaiah.  Hence  it  has  been  referred,  not  without  reason,  to  the 
reign  of  Hezekiah.  Some  have  supposed  that  it  was  a  song  of 
triumph,  written,  like  Psalms  xlvi.-xlviii.,  after  the  defeat  of  Sen- 
nacherib ;  others,  more  probably,  that  it  was  a  hymn  com- 
posed for  some  solemn  reception  of  proselytes  into  the  Church, 
'  the  Psalmist  and  his  brother  Levites  exulting  in  this  admis- 
sion of  converts  as  they  would  do  in  a  national  victory.' 

2.  Calvin  and  others  refer  the  Psalm  to  a  time  subsequent 
to  the  return  from  the  Captivity.  It  was  designed,  as  Calvin 
thinks,  to  console  the  exiles,  whose  hearts  must  have  died 
down  within  them  as  they  thought  of  the  present  enfeebled, 
impoverished,  defenceless  state  of  the  city. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — We  may  justly  say  with  St.  Augustine 
that  it  is  '  brevis  numero  verborum,  magnus  pondere  senten- 
tiarum,'  and  exclaim  when  we  have  read  it,  'In  small  bulk 
great  heart.'"^ 

The  conception  of  a  New  Birth,  and  of  spiritual  life  sustained 
and  strengthened  by  a  Eucharistic  Feast,  is  in  the  Psalter. 
Every  citizen  of  the  new  Sion  is  solemnly  introduced  into  it, 
and  registered  among  its  people  by  an  act  which  is  one  of  New 
Birth. 

'  This  man  was  born  there, 
And  of  Sion  it  shall  be  said, 
This  and  that  man  was  born  there. 

The  Lord  shall  rehearse  when  He  writeth  up  the  people, 
That  this  man  was  born  there.' 

And  just  as  our  Lord's  saying,  '  Except  a  man  be  born 
again  of  water  and  the  Spirit,'  refers  to  and  interprets  the 
87th  Psalm,  so  His  teaching  on  the  other  Sacrament  of  the 
Gospel  includes  a  reference  to  another  Psalm,  f 

Verse   1.  Her  foimdatio?is  are  upon  the  holy  hills. — There 

*   The  Witness  of  the  Psahns  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  134. 
t  Ibid. 


358  PSALM-MOSAICS 

is  a  curious  Rabbinical  belief  that  in  the  days  of  Messiah 
Mount  Sion  will  be  exalted  by  the  heaping  up  of  Sinai,  Tabor, 
and  Carmel,  as  a  base  beneath  it,  while  restored  Jerusalem 
crowns  the  height.  And  this  they  take  as  the  sense  of  that 
prophecy,  '  The  mountains  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  estab- 
lished in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above 
the  hills.'* 


PSALM  LXXXVIIL 

Heading  (DeUtzsch). — Plaintive  prayer  of  a  patient  sufferer 
like  Job. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — If  ever  there  was  a  song  of  sorrow  and  a 
Psalm  of  sadness,  this  is  one. 

Cojitents  (Syriac).— Concerning  the  people  in  Babylon. 

Origin  (Perowne). — As  to  the  author,  and  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  Psalm  was  written,  various  conjectures  have 
been  made,  but  they  are  really  worth  nothing.  One  thing  only 
is  clear,  that  it  is  not  a  national  Psalm,  and  that  it  does  not 
deplore  the  Babylonish  Captivity,  or  any  other  naiional cdX^imiiy . 
It  is  throughout  personal  and  individual.  Uzziah  when 
smitten  with  leprosy,  Jeremiah  in  the  dungeon,  Hezekiah  in 
sickness.  Job  in  his  sufferings — to  all  these  in  turn  has  the 
authorship  of  the  Psalm  been  assigned. 

In  Church. — A  proper  Psalm  for  Good  Friday. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  stands  alone  in  all  the 
Psalter  for  the  unrelieved  gloom,  the  hopeless  sorrow  of  its 
tone.  Even  the  very  saddest  of  the  others,  and  the  Lamenta- 
tions themselves,  admit  some  variation  of  key,  some  strains  of 
hopefulness  ;  here  only  all  is  darkness  to  the  close. t 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  83. 
t  Dr.  Neale  on  The  Psalms^  vol.  iii.,  p.  92. 


PSALM  LX XX VIII.  359 

Henry  of  Navarre. — It  was  this  Psalm  (or  part  of  it),  in  the 
French  metrical  version,  that  Henry  of  Navarre  was  heard 
repeating  to  himself,  and  that  D'Aubigne  and  D'Armagnac 
hailed  as  a  sign  of  returning  grace. 

Henry  of  Navarre  (afterwards  Henry  IV.  of  France)  had  so 
lived  at  Court  that  he  was  supposed  by  the  most  clear-sighted 
to  be  just  such  another  as  his  weak,  easy-going,  dissipated 
father.  One  night,  the  2nd  of  February,  1676,  he  had  a  slight 
feverish  attack.  Two  of  his  own  gentlemen,  Agrippa  d'Aubigne 
and  the  Count  of  Armagnac,  were  sitting  with  him,  and  had 
drawn  his  curtains,  thinking  him  dying,  when  they  heard  him 
sigh,  and  then  chant  to  himself  the  Huguenot  version  of  part  of 
the  88th  Psalm. 

'  Tu  m'otes,  pour  comble  d'ennuie, 
L'ami  que  j 'avals  cru  fidele 
C'est  en  vain  que  ma  voix  I'appelle 
Dans  I'etat  funeste  ou,  je  suis. 
Helas  !  au  fort  de  ma  detresse 
Chacun  se  cache  et  me  delaissie.' 

This  was  so  unlike  the  laughing,  merry  trifler  that  Henri 
usually  appeared,  that  D'Aubigne  exclaimed  :  '  Then  can  it  be, 
sire,  that  the  Good  Spirit  still  dwells  and  works  in  you  ?  If  so, 
why  are  you  a  captive  here  obeying  a  woman,  while  your  own 
people  are  fighting  ?  Those  who  guarded  your  cradle  had  far 
rather  fight  under  your  standards  than  those  of  Alengon.  As 
to  ourselves,  sire,  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  flee  to-morrow  ; 
and  those  who  may  succeed  us  may  not  scruple  to  use  the 
poison  or  the  knife.'  All  night  they  talked,  and  Henri  came 
to  the  decision  that  this  was  the  time  to  shake  off  the  yoke  he 
had  endured  for  nearly  four  years.  Accordingly  he  escaped 
from  Court  and  went  to  his  own  counties  of  Beam  and 
Foix.* 

Verse  9.  My  sight  faileth  for  very  trouble. —TYiq  first  clause 
seems    literally   to   mean  the   soreness  and  dimness   of  sight 

*   Cameos  frovi  English  History,  No.  clxx. 


36o  PSALM-MOSAICS 

caused  by  excessive  weeping,  and  is  so  taken  by  many  of  the 
commentators,  and  Lorinus  aptly  quotes  a  Latin  poet  (Catullus) 
in  illustration  : 

*  Nor  my  sad  eyes  to  pine  with  constant  tears 
Could  cease.'* 

Verse  1 1  (Bible  version).  S/ia//  Thy  lovingkindness  be  declared 
in  the  grave  ?  or  l^hy  faithfulness  in  destruction  ? — The  beauty 
and  pathos  of  this  Psalm  struck  Wordsworth,  as  given  in  the 
words  of  the  Scottish  version.  The  passage  is  in  the  funeral 
song  in  the  Solitary  : 

'  A  solemn  voice, 
Of  several  voices  in  one  solemn  sound, 
Was  heard  ascending  :  mournful,  deep  and  slow, 
The  cadence  as  of  Psalms — a  funeral  dirge  ! 
We  listened,  looking  down  upon  the  host, 
But  seeing  no  one  :  meanwhile,  from  below, 
The  strain  continued,  spiritual  as  before  ; 
And  now  distinctly  could  I  recognise 
These  words  •.—Shall  in  the  grave  Thy  love  be  known  ? 
In  death  Thy  faithfulness  ?'f 

Verse  13.  Early  shall  my  prayer  come  before  lliee. — 

'  When  first  thine  eyes  unveil,  give  thy  soul  leave 

To  do  the  like  ;  our  bodies  but  forerun 
The  spirit's  duty.     True  hearts  spread  and  heave 

Unto  their  God,  as  flowers  do  to  the  sun. 
Give  Him  thy  first  thoughts,  then,  so  shalt  thou  keep 
Him  company  all  day,  and  in  Him  sleep. 

'  Yet  never  sleep  the  sun  up.     Prayer  should 
Dawn  with  the  day.     There  are  set,  av^'ful  hours 

Twixt  heaven  and  us.     The  manna  was  not  good 
After  sun-rising  ;  far-day  sullies  flowers. 

Rise  to  prevent  the  sun  ;  sleep  doth  sins  glut, 

And  heaven's  gate  opens  when  this  world's  is  shut. 'J 

Verse  15.  Even  front  my  youth  up  Thy  terrors  have  I  suffered 
with  a  troubled  inind. — During  his  time  at  Clare,  there  is  no 
trace  of  friendships  formed  by  Ferrar  among  his  contemporaries. 
Perhaps  the  boy,  though  so  greatly  beloved  by  his  elders,  was 

""  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  99. 

t   The  Fsalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  116. 

+  Henry  Vaughan,  Rides  and  Lessons. 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  361 

considered  rather  old-fashioned  and  sententious  by  his  young 
companions.  There  was  a  precocious  gravity  about  him  ;  his 
natural  seriousness  was  deepened  by  family  sorrows.  He 
writes  to  his  parents  of  his  dearest  brother  Erasmus,  and  '  your 
other  children  that  are  departed  in  the  Lord,'  and  we  have 
glimpses  of  deep  melancholy,  of  an  inward  strife  that  rose  at 
times  to  anguish.  '  My  soul  has  been  almost  rent,'  he  writes  ; 
'  I  may  truly  say  that  from  youth  up  Thy  terrors  have  1  suffered 
with  a  troubled  mitid'  His  talents  were  of  a  sort  to  delight  his 
teachers  more  than  his  equals.* 

Verse  15  (LXX.  and  Vulg.).  I  am  poor  aud  in  labours  from 
my  youth. — The  nephews  and  kindred  of  Popes  and  Cardinals 
cannot  apply  this  verse  to  themselves,  caustically  remarks  Car- 
dinal Hugo,  for  they  are  rich,  and  get  benefices  from  their 
cradles,  t 


PSALM  LXXXIX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  for  a  renewal  of  the  mercies  of 
David. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  majestic  Covenant  Psalm. 
Contents  (Syriac). — Concerning  the  people  in  Babylon. 

Origin  (Perowne). — There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this 
Psalm  was  written  in  the  latter  days  of  the  Jewish  monarchy, 
when  the  throne  of  David  had  fallen,  or  was  already  tottering 
to  its  fall,  and  when  the  prospect  for  the  future  was  so  dark 
that  it  seemed  as  if  God  had  forgotten  His  covenant  and  His 
promise. 

Tholuck's  conjecture  is  not  improbable,  that  the  king  of 
whom  the  Psalm  speaks  (verse  45)  [46]  is  the  youthful 
Jehoiachin,  who,  after  a  reign  of  three  months,  was  deposed  and 

*  Life  of  Nicholas  Ferra?;  p.  15. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  ill.,  p.  104. 


362  PSALM-MOSAICS 

imprisoned  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  of  whom  it  was  said  that 
no  man  of  his  seed  should  '  prosper,  sitting  on  the  throne  of 
David.' 

I7i  Church. — This  Psalm  is  the  first  at  Evensong  on  Christ- 
mas Day. 

The  sadness  which  extends  over  much  of  this  Psalm  might, 
at  first  sight,  seem  to  deprive  it  of  any  right  to  mingle  with  the 
happy  hymns  of  Christians.  This  would  be  so  were  its  signi- 
ficance limited  to  occasions  for  which  it  was  originally  com- 
posed. But  it  looks  far  beyond,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that,  of  all  Psalms,  this  is  the  most  appropriate  for  the  Festival 
of  the  Nativity,  as  no  other  expresses  in  terms  so  plain  the 
promise  of  the  Messiah,  answering  to  the  message  of  the  angel 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin  :  '  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be  called 
the  Son  of  the  Highest,  and  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto 
Him  the  throne  of  His  father  David.  And  He  shall  reign  over 
the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever,  and  of  His  kingdom  there  shall  be 
no  end'  (St.  Luke  i.  32,  33). 

David's  kingdom  was  figurative  of  Christ's  kingdom,  and 
promises  which  were  made  by  the  faithfulness  of  God  to  the 
one  shall  ultimately  find  accomplishment  in  the  other.  But 
the  covenant  has  two  sides  :  it  is  necessary-,  for  the  fulfilment 
of  these  promises,  that  the  seed  of  David  should  be  true  and 
loyal  to  Him  who  gave  David  the  kingdom,  so  the  spiritual 
seed  must  be  faithful.  Thus,  in  the  midst  of  our  Christian 
joy,  this  Psalm  stands  as  a  merciful  warning  lest,  after  all  the 
Incarnation  has  wrought  for  us,  we  should,  through  unfaithful- 
ness, lose  our  crown. "^ 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  present  Psalm  makes  a  pair  with 
the  preceding  one.  It  is  a  spiritual  Allegro  to  that  Pen- 
seroso.f 

The  chapel  of  Thomas  Bradbury — '  Bold  Bradbur}','  as  he 
was  called,    '  as  much  a  man  of  war  in  theology^  as  in  politics  ' 

*  Housman  on  TTie  Psalms,  p.  183. 

t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary^  p.  141. 


PSALM  LXXXIX,  ^fj^ 

—Stood  in  New  Street,  Fetter  Lane,  and  was  remarkable  as 
being  the  place  where  George  I.  was  first  prayed  for  as  Sovereign 
of  Great  Britain.  Queen  Anne  died  on  the  morning  of  Sunday, 
August  14,  1 7 14.  It  was  known  she  was  z'n  extremis^  and 
Bishop  Burnet  had  promised  to  send  word  to  Bradbury  the 
moment  she  expired.  The  preconcerted  signal,  the  dropping 
a  white  handkerchief  from  the  gallery,  was  given  before  the 
sermon  was  finished,  and  in  the  concluding  prayer  Bradbury 
invoked  the  Divine  blessing  on  'George,  King  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,'  and  then  gave  out  the  89th  Psalm  : 

'  A  man  of  might  I  have  erect 
Your  King  and  guide  to  be, 
And  set  him  up  whom  I  elect 
Among  the  folk  to  me. ' 

Another  version  of  the  story — that  the  signal  came  before 
the  sermon  began,  and  that  Bradbury  gave  out  as  his  text 
2  Kings  ix.  34,  '  Go,  see  now  this  cursed  woman,  and  bury  her, 
for  she  is  a  king's  daughter ' — may  safely  be  rejected.  The 
Fetter  Lane  chapel  has  quite  disappeared,  and  so  has  that  in 
New  Court,  Carey  Street,  Chancery  Lane,  to  which  Bradbur)- 
removed  on  the  occurrence  of  the  schism  in  his  congregation 
between  the  Trinitarians  and  the  Arianisers,  already  mentioned, 
by  which  it  has  been  said  '  perished  the  good  accord  of  English 
dissent.'* 

Verse  r.  My  song  shall  be  always  of  the  loving-kindness  of  the 
Lord, — Chancellor  Le  Tellier  (the  ixi^nd.  of  Bossuet)  uttered 
these  words  on  his  death-bed.  It  was  he  who  officially  signed 
the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  (granted  by  Henri  IV. ^ 
April  13,  1598,  and  revoked  by  Louis  XIV.,  October  22,  1685). 
Bossuet  says  of  him,  '  No  good  man  ever  trusted  in  God's 
grace  with  a  firmer  confidence,  no  sinner  ever  asked  forgiveness 
more  humbly.'  Surrounded  by  his  children,  and  not  afraid  of 
weakness  in  enjoying  their  tenderness,  the  old  man  cried  out 
amid   his   bodily  pains,  '  I  do   not   crave   deliverance   from 

*    The  Guardian. 


364  PSALM-MOSAICS 

-suffering,  but  I  crave  for  the  sight  of  God  ';  and  another  time 
he  exclaimed,  '  I  thank  God  to  allow  my  body  to  fail  before  my 
mind  !'  His  last  breath  was  drawn  as  he  began  to  utter  the 
Psalm  '  Misericordias  Dojnini  in  ceter7iam  cantabo''^ 

Verse  15  (Bible  Version).  Blessed  is  the  people  that  know  the 
joyful  soii?id.  —  Yle  who  blows  the  horn  or  trumpet  is  called 
'  Baal  Tokea,'  the  master  of  blowing.  The  '  Baal  Tokea,'  before 
commencing  to  blow  the  trumpet,  offers  up  an  extraordinary 
prayer.  After  this  prayer,  and  the  repetition  of  some  passages 
of  Scripture,  four  blasts  of  the  trumpet  are  given,  after  which 
the  whole  congregation  shout,  '  Blessed  is  the  people  that  know 
the  joyful  sound,'  etc.  (Psalm  Ixxxix.  15-18).  The  first  is 
'Tekeah,'  a  long-drawn-out  sound;  the  next  'Shevorim,'  a 
broken  sound ;  then  '  Teruah,'  which  is  a  loud  blast,  and  lastly 
'  Tekeah '  again. 

These  four  sounds  are  repeated  many  times  over,  with  an 
alternate  prayer,  and  this  service  is  closed  by  saying :  '  And 
then  may  it  be  acceptable  before  Thy  presence,  O  Lord  !  my 
God,  and  the  God  of  my  ancestors,  that  the  angels  which  go 
forth  from  the  Shophar,  and  from  the  Tekeah,  and  from  the 
Shevorah,  and  from  the  Teruah,  that  they  bring  them  forth 
before  the  throne  of  Thy  glory,  and  that  they  may  plead  good 
on  our  behalf  as. an  atonement  for  all  our  sins.'t 

Verses  16,  17.  Blessed  is  the  people,  O  Lord,  that  can  rejoice 
in  Thee ;  they  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  Thy  countenajice. 
Their  delight  shall  be  daily  in  Thy  name,  and  in  Thy  righteous- 
ness shall  they  make  their  Z'^^^/.'— There  is  a  two-fold  Rab- 
binical tradition  respecting  these  verses,  that  they  were  the 
original  prayer  recited  by  Moses  as  a  blessing  on  the  work  of 
making  the  Tabernacle  and  its  ornaments,  and  that  subse- 
quently he  employed  them  as  the  usual  formula  of  benediction 

*   Life  of  Bos  suet,  p.  319. 

t    The  Jewish  Neio  Year  {Sunday  at  Home,  1876,  p.  570). 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  365 

for  any  newly  undertaken  task,  whenever  God's  glorious  7?iajesfy 
was  to  be  consulted  for  an  answer  by  Urim  and  Thummim.* 

Verse  27.  But  Thou  hast  abhorred  and  forsaken  Thine 
anointed^  and  art  displeased  at  him. — The  boldness  of  the  ex- 
postulation has  scandalized  the  Jewish  interpreters.  Aben 
Ezra  tells  the  story  of  a  wise  and  pious  Jew  in  Spain,  who 
would  never  read  nor  listen  to  this  Psalm,  and  he  and  others 
would  get  rid  of  the  offence  by  taking  verses  37-44  as  express- 
ing the  scoff  of  enemies,  not  the  reproach  of  the  Psalmist.' f 

*  Oliver's  Syriac  Vey-sion,  p.  190. 

t    The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J-  J-  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  153. 


BOOK  IV. 


PSALMS  XC— CVI. 

'  The  Fourth  Book  of  Psalms,  which  begins  with  the  ninetieth  and  ends 
with  the  hundred  and  sixth — seventeen  in  all — is  remarkable  in  this 
respect,  that  all  but  three  Psalms  are  anonymous  in  the  original.' — '  The 
Companion  to  the  Psalter,''  by  Rev.  J,  Giirnhill. 

'  This  book  has  a  very  comprehensive  character  ...  it  goes  back  to 
Moses,  and  it  goes  forward  to  the  Captivity,  and  to  the  return  from  it 
(Ps.  cii.).     It  reaches  from  Moses  to  Malachi.' — Bishop  Wordsworth. 


PSALM  XC. 

Headi7ig  (Delitzsch). — Taking  refuge  in  the  loving-kindness 
of  the  Eternal  One  under  the  wrathful  judgment  of  death. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Moses  sings  of  the  frailty  of  man  and  the 
shortness  of  hfe,  contrasting  these  with  the  eternity  of  God,  and 
founding  thereon  earnest  appeals  for  compassion. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Moses. 

Origin  (Perowne). — All  the  ablest  critics,  even  those  who, 
Hke  Ewald  and  Hupfield,  deny  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the 
Psalm,  nevertheless  admit  that  in  depth  and  loftiness  of 
thought,  in  solemnity  of  feeling,  and  in  majesty  of  diction,  it  is 
worthy  of  the  great  Lawgiver  and  Prophet.  .  .  .  There  are  points 
of  resemblance  betw^een  the  language  of  the  Psalm  and  expres- 
sions occurring  in  parts  of  the  Pentateuch,  and  more  particu- 
larly in  Deuteronomy.  To  those  who  believe,  as  I  do,  that 
Deuteronomy  was  written  by  Moses,  they  furnish  an  argument 
for  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the  Psalm. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — St.  Hugh,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  '  received 
the  viaticum  and  extreme  unction  on  St.  Matthew's  Day,  but 
survived  till  the  17th  of  November.  On  that  day  he  caused 
many  monks  and  priests,  besides  his  chaplains,  to  recite  the 
Divine  Office  in  his  chamber.  Seeing  them  weep,  he  said 
many  tender  things  to  comfort  them,  and  laying  his  hand  upon 
them  one  by  one,  recommended  them  to  the  Divine  custody. 

24 


370  PSALM-MOSAICS 

His  voice  beginning  to  fail,  he  ordered  the  floor  to  be  swept, 
and  a  cross  of  blessed  ashes  to  be  strewed  upon  it ;  and  whilst 
the  ni7ietieth  Psalm^  at  Compline,  was  read,  would  be  lifted  out 
of  bed  and  laid  upon  that  cross,  in  which  posture,  as  he  was 
repeating  the  canticle,  Nunc  Dimittls^  he  calmly  expired,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1200,  of  his  age  sixty,  of  his  episcopal  charge 
fifteen.'* 

In  Church. — The  Church  appoints  this  Psalm,  called  by 
Herder  '  that  ancient  Psalm,  that  hymn  of  eternity,'  to  be  used 
for  the  ministration  of  spiritual  comfort  to  the  Christian 
mourner  at  the  Burial  of  the  Dead.t 

The  Whole  Psahn. — '  John  Hampden,'  says  the  inscription  on 
the  monument  in  Chalgrove  Field,  '  died  while  fighting  in  de- 
fence of  the  free  Monarchy  and  antient  liberties  of  England, 
June  1 8th,  1643.'  He  received  his  wound  from  the  bursting  of 
his  pistol  on  Chalgrove  Field;  but  he  died  in  the  town  of 
Thame,  where  he  received  his  early  education,  and  where  he 
had  been  conveyed  after  the  battle.  On  the  Sunday  following 
his  death,  attended  by  such  of  the  Rebel  soldiery  as  could  be 
conveniently  assembled,  the  corpse  of  Hampden  was  carried 
from  the  Market-place  at  Thame  to  its  resting  place  among  the 
Chiltern  Hills.  Through  the  adjacent  village  of  Kingsly  to- 
wards Princes  Risborough,  and  then  along  the  old  Icknield 
Way  up  to  Great  Hampden,  with  arms  reversed  and  to  the 
sound  of  muffled  drum,  they  bore  their  burden. 

He  was  buried  in  the  chancel  of  Great  Hampden  Church. 
Those  who  followed  as  mourners  sang  the  ninetieth  Psalm, 
Do7mne  refiigium.,  as  they  carried  the  corpse  into  Church,  and 
Judica  vie  Deus,  the  forty-third  Psalm,  on  leaving  the  grave.  | 

It  has  been  observed  that  the  Ninetieth  Psalm  is  the  prayer 

*  Alban  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Savifs. 
J  Wordsworth's  Cotmnentary^  p.  145, 
X  History  of  the  Church  of  the  B.  V.  Mary  of  Thame,  by  Dr.  Lee,  p.  542. 


PSALM  XC.  371 

which  is  read  over  the  mortal  dust  of  some  hundreds  of  the 
children  of  men  every  week  in  London  alone. 

When  the  pious  and  gallant  young  Englishman,  Hudson, 
was  killed  on  the  Matterhorn  in  1865,  it  was  suggested  that  a 
short  Funeral  Service  should  be  held.  '  Poor  Hudson's  Prayer- 
book,'  says  the  officiating  clergyman,  '  was  produced  for  the 
purpose.  I  read  out  of  it  the  ninetieth  Psalm.  Imagine  us 
standing  with  our  guides,  in  the  centre  of  a  snowfield,  with  that 
awful  mountain  above  us,  under  a  cloudless  sky,  in  the  very 
sight,  as  it  were,  of  the  Almighty. 

'  Try  and  catch  the  sound  of  the  words  : 

'  *'  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  refuge  in  all  generations, 

Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  or  ever  the  earth  and  the 

world  were  formed. 
From  everlasting  to  everlasting  Thou  art  God."  '* 

He?uj  Martyn,  as  he  lay  half  fainting  on  his  couch,  the 
last  Sunday  at  Cawnpore,  asked  his  friends  to  sing  to 
him : 


O  God,  our  help  in  ages  past, 
Our  hope  for  years  to  come. 


Verse  3.  Thou  iurnest  man  to  destruction^  again  Thou  say  est ^  Is^Yvfe 
Come  again,  ye  children  of  men. — Elishah  ben  Abuyah,  a  most  X,^^^ 
learned  man,  became  in  after-life  an  apostate.  When  he  waxed 
old  he  was  taken  sick,  and  Rabbi  Meir  (who  had  been  one  of 
his  pupils,  and  who  had  never  failed  in  the  great  love  which  he 
bore  for  his  teacher),  learning  of  his  illness,  called  upon  him. 
*■  Oh,    return,  return    unto    thy  God,'    entreated    Rabbi   Meir. 

*  What,'  exclaimed  Elishah,  '  return  !  And  could  He  receive 
my  penitence,  the  penitence  of  an  apostate  who  has  so 
rebelled    against    Him  ?'      '  Is    it    not    written,'    said    Meir, 

*  "  Thou  turnest  ?nan  to  cojitrition  "  ?  No  matter  how  the  soul 
of  man  may  be  crushed,  he  can  still  turn  to  his  God  and  find 
relief.' 

*   T]ie  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Clwist  and  Christianity. 


372  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Elishah  listened  to  these  words,  wept  bitterly,  and  died. 
Not  many  years  after  his  death  his  daughters  came,  poverty- 
stricken,  asking  relief  from  the  colleges.  '  Remember,'  said 
they,  '  the  merit  of  our  father's  learning,  not  his  conduct.'  The 
colleges  listened  to  the  appeal,  and  supported  the  daughters  of 
Elishah.* 

Ferse  4.  A  thousand  years  ifi  Thy  sight  are  but  as  yesterday^ 
seeing  that  it  is  past  as  a  ivatch  i7i  the  night. — The  late  Dean 
Alford,  in  '  The  Queen's  English,'  makes  the  following  useful 
remark  upon  this  verse.  Psalm  xc.  4,  in  the  Prayer-Book  ver- 
sion, runs  thus  :  '  A  thousand  years  in  Thy  sight  are  but  as 
yesterday,  seeing  that  is  past  as  a  watch  in  the  7iight.^  Here,  of 
course,  that  is  the  demonstrative  pronoun,  and  refers  to  yester- 
day, which  has  just  been  spoken  of;  and  it  ought,  in  reading, 
to  have  a  certain  emphasis  laid  on  it;  But  not  unfrequently 
we  hear  it  read  in  the  responses  of  the  congregation  as  if  it 
were  the  conjunction,  '  Seeing  that  is  past  as  a  watch  in  the 
night.'  I  remember  having  some  trouble  in  curing  our  choris- 
ters at  Canterbury  of  singing  it  thus.t 

Sir  John  Chardiu  observes  in  a  note  on  this  verse,  that,  as 
the  people  of  the  East  have  no  clocks,  the  several  parts  of  the 
day,  and  of  the  night,  which  are  small,  are  given  notice  of.  In 
the  Indies  the  parts  of  the  night  are  made  known  as  well  by 
instruments  of  music,  in  great  cities,  as  by  the  rounds  of  the 
watchmen,  who  with  cries  and  small  drums  give  them  notice 
that  the  fourth  part  of  the  night  is  past.  Now,  as  these  cries 
awaken  those  who  had  slept  all  that  quarter  part  of  the  night, 
it  appeared  to  them  but  a  moment.; 

The  Childhood  of  the  World. — You  will  ask  how  it  is  that  we 
know  these  remains  of  early  man  to  be  so  very,  very  old. 

*   Tahmid,  p.  275. 

+  Housman  on  The  Psalms^  p.  188. 

X  Harmer's  Obsei-vations. 


PSALM  XC.  373 

To  make  my  reply  as  clear  as  possible,  I  will  describe  to  you 
one  of  the  many  places  in  which  the  old  bones  and  weapons 
have  been  found.  There  is  a  large  cavern  at  Brixham,  on  the 
south  coast  of  Devonshire,  which  was  discovered  fourteen 
years  ago  through  the  falling  in  of  a  part  of  the  roof.  The 
floor  is  of  stalagmite,  or  particles  of  lime,  which  have  been 
brought  down  from  the  roof  by  the  dropping  of  water,  and 
become  hardened  into  stone  again.  Stalagmite  comes  from  a 
Greek  word  which  means  a  drop.  In  this  floor,  which  is  about 
one  foot  in  thickness,  were  found  bones  of  the  reindeer  and 
cave  bear ;  while  below  it  was  a  red  loamy  mass,  fifteen  feet 
thick  in  some  parts,  in  which  were  buried  flint  flakes,  or  knives, 
and  bones  of  the  mammoth.  Beneath  this  was  a  bed  of  gravel, 
more  than  twenty  feet  thick,  in  which  flint  flakes  and  some 
small  bones  were  found.  Altogether,  more  than  thirty  flints 
were  found  in  the  same  cave  with  the  bones  of  bears  and 
woolly  elephants ;  and  as  they  are  known  to  have  been  chipped 
by  the  hand  of  man,  it  is  not  hard  to  prove  that  he  lived  in 
this  country  when  those  creatures  roamed  over  it. 

But  what  proof  have  we,  you  ask,  that  the  bones  of  these 
creatures  are  so  very  old  ? 

Apart  from  the  fact  that  for  many  centuries  no  living  mam- 
moth has  been  seen,  we  have  the  finding  of  its  bones  buried 
at  a  goodly  depth  ;  and  as  it  is  certain  that  no  one  would 
trouble  to  dig  a  grave  to  put  them  in,  there  must  be  some 
other  cause  for  the  mass  of  loam  under  which  they  are 
found. 

There  are  several  ways  by  which  the  various  bones  may  have 
got  into  the  cave.  The  creatures  to  which  they  belonged  m^ay 
have  died  on  the  hillside,  and  their  bones  have  been  washed 
into  the  cave ;  or  they  may  have  sought  refuge,  or,  what  in  the 
case  I  am  now  describing  seems  most  likely,  lived  therein  ;  but 
be  this  as  it  may,  we  have  to  account  for  thirty-five  feet  of  loam 
and  gravel  in  which  their  remains  are  buried. 

The  agent  that  thus  covered  them  from  view  for  long,  long 
years  is  that  active  tool  of  nature  which  before  the  day  when 


374 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


no  living  thing  was  upon  the  earth,  and  ever  since,  has  been 
cutting  through  rocks,  opening  the  deep  valleys,  shaping  the 
highest  mountains,  hollowing  out  the  lowest  caverns,  and  which 
is  carrying  the  soil  from  one  place  to  another  to  form  new 
lands  where  now  the  deep  sea  rolls.  It  is  7vater  which  carried 
that  deposit  into  Brixham  cavern  and  covered  over  the  bones, 
and  which,  since  the  day  that  mammoth  and  bear  and  rein- 
deer lived  in  Devonshire,  has  scooped  out  the  surrounding 
valleys  loo  feet  deeper.  And  although  the  time  which  water 
takes  to  deepen  a  channel,  or  eat  out  a  cavern,  depends  upon 
the  speed  with  which  it  flows,  you  may  judge  that  the  quickest 
stream  works  slowly  to  those  who  watch  it,  when  I  tell  you 
that  the  river  Thames,  flowing  at  its  present  rate,  takes  11,740 
years  to  scoop  out  Us  valley  o?ie  foot  lower  !  Men  of  science 
have  therefore  some  reason  for  believing  that  the  flint  weapons 
were  made  by  men  who  lived  many  thousands  of  years 
ago. 

'  A  thousand  years  i?i  Thy  sight  are  but  as  yesterday  tvhen 
it  is  past ;  and  as  a  watch  in  the  night.'' 

Science,  in  thus  teaching  us  the  great  age  of  the  earth,  also 
teaches  us  the  Eternity  of  the  Ageless  God.* 

Verse  9.  We  bring  our  years  to  an  end^  as  it  were  a  tale  that 
is  told. — There  can  be  little  doubt  that  our  forefathers,  in  and 
before  Shakespeare's  time,  and  even  Shakespeare  himself, 
derived,  not  altogether  unprofitably,  some  portion  of  their 
knowledge  of  Holy  Scripture  from  the  exhibitions  of  religious 
plays,  called  miracles  or  mysteries ;  and  consequently  that 
much  which  would  strike  us  nowadays  as  irreverent,  or,  at 
best,  of  questionable  propriety  when  spoken  upon  the  stage, 
did  not  appear  to  them  in  the  same  light.  I  imagine  that, 
when  Justice  Shallow  observed  to  Silence,  his  brother 
justice. 


The  Childhood  of  the  World,  chap.  viii. 


PSALM  XC.  375 

'  Death,  as  the  Psalmist*  saith,  is  certain  to  all  ;  all  shall  die ' 

{King Henry  IV.,  2nd  Part,  Act  III.,  Sc.  ii.) 

neither  the  author  nor  the  actor  would  be  conscious  of  any 
irreverence  in  thus  introducing  the  Psalmist's  name  ;  but  times 
are  changed,  and  Mr.  Bowdler,  by  omitting  the  clause  printed 
in  itaUcs,  gives  us  to  understand  that  now  it  '  cannot  with  pro- 
priety be  read  '  even  '  in  a  family  I'f 

Cf.  verse  4. 

Wordsworth  : 

'  Our  noisy  years  seem  moments  in  the  being 
Of  the  eternal  Silence.' 

Verse  10  (Bible  Version).  The  days  of  our  years  are  three- 
score years  and  ten,  and  if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  four- 
score years ^  yet  is  their  strength  labour  and  sorrow,  for  it  is  soon 
cut  off  and  we  fly  aiaay. — At  the  Witan  or  council  assembled 
by  Edwin  of  Northumbria  at  Godmundingham  (modern 
name,  Godmanham)  to  debate  on  the  mission  of  Paulinus, 
the  King  was  thus  addressed  by  a  heathen  Thane,  one  of 
his  chief  men  : 

*  The  present  life  of  man,  O  King,  may  be  likened  to  what 
often  happens  when  thou  art  sitting  at  supper  with  thy  thanes 
and  nobles  in  winter-time.  A  fire  blazes  on  the  hearth,  and 
warms  the  chamber :  outside  rages  a  storm  of  wind  and  snow  : 
a  sparrow  flies  in  at  one  door  of  thy  hall,  and  quickly  passes 
out  of  the  other.  For  a  moment,  and  while  it  is  within,  it  is 
unharmed  by  the  wintry  blast,  but  this  brief  season  of  happi- 
ness over,  it  returns  to  that  wintry  blast  whence  it  came,  and 
vanishes  from  sight.  Such  is  the  brief  life  of  man  ;  we  know 
not  what  went  before  it,  and  we  are  utterly  ignorant  as  to  what 
shall  follow  it.  If,  therefore,  this  new  doctrine  contains  any- 
thing more  certain,  it  justly  deserves  to  be  followed.'! 

*■  See  Psalm  xc.  10.     In  Psahn  xxii.  15,   'dust  of  death'  n:ay  be  com- 
pared with  '  dusty  death  '  in  Macbeth,  Act  V.,  Sc.  v. 
t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  289. 
1  Bede's  Chronicle. 


T^-jS  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Vej'se  lo.    The  days  of  our  age  are  threescore  years  and  ten. 

*  How  long  have  I  to  live? 
Are  threescore  years  and  ten 
All  that  this  life  can  give  ? 
Poor  passing  tale — and  then 

To  die. 

'  How  long  have  I  to  die  ? 
A  moment's  pang — no  more  ! 
And  then — to  yonder  sky 
Mounting  for  evermore 

To  live,'* 

Verse  12.  So  teach  us  to  Jiuniber  our  days,  that  we  may  apply 
our  hearts  unto  wisdom.  —  With  all  the  strength  of  mind 
which  Queen  EHzabeth  possessed,  she  had  the  ^weakness 
of  her  sex  as  far  as  related  to  her  age  and  her  personal 
attractions.  'The  majesty  and  gravity  of  a  sceptre,'  says 
a  contemporary  of  this  great  princess,  'could  not  alter  that 
nature  of  a  woman  in  her.  When  Bishop  Rudd  was  ap- 
pointed to  preach  before  her,  he,  wishing  in  a  godly  zeal,  as 
well  became  him,  that  she  should  think  some  time  of  mor- 
tality, being  then  sixty-three  years  of  age,  he  took  his  text  fit 
for  that  purpose  out  of  the  Psalms,  xc.  12  :  "  6>  teacJi  us  to 
number  our  days,  that  we  may  incline  our  hearts  imto  wisdom  .•" 
which  text  he  handled  most  learnedly.  But  when  he  spoke  of 
some  sacred  mystical  numbers,  as  three  for  the  Trinity,  three 
times  three  for  the  heavenly  hierarchy,  seven  for  the  Sabbath, 
and  seven  times  seven  for  a  jubilee  ;  and,  lastly,  nine  times 
seven  for  the  grand  climacterical  year  (her  age),  she,  perceiv- 
ing whereto  it  tended,  began  to  be  troubled  with  it.  The 
bishop,  discovering  all  was  not  well,  for  the  pulpit  stood  oppo- 
site her  majesty,  he  fell  to  treat  of  some  plausible  numbers,  as 
of  the  number  666,  making  Latinus,  with  which  he  said  he 
could  prove  Pope  to  be  Antichrist,  etc.  He  still,  however, 
interlarded  his  sermon  with  Scripture  passages  touching  the  in- 
firmities of  age,  as  that  in  Ecclesiasticus,  "  When  the  grinders 
shall  be  few  in  number,  and  they  wax  dark  that  look  out  of  the 

*  The  Gates  of  Praise,  p.  533. 


PSALM  XC.  377 

windows,  etc.,  and  the  daughter  of  singing  shall  be  abased ;" 
and  more  to  that  purpose.  The  queen,  as  the  manner  was, 
opened  the  window ;  but  she  was  so  far  from  giving  him 
thanks  or  good  countenance,  that  she  said  plainly :  "  He 
might  have  kept  his  arithmetic  for  himself;  but  I  see  the 
greatest  clerks  are  not  the  wisest  men " ;  and  so  she  went 
away  discontented.'"^ 

Verses  i6  and  17.  Shoiu  Thy  servants  Thy  ivork^  and  their 
children  Thy  glory.  And  the  glorious  majesty  of  the  Lord  our 
God  be  upon  us  ;  prosper  Thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us^  O 
J)rosper  Thou  our  handy-work. — There  is  a  twofold  Rabbinical 
tradition  respecting  this  verse  and  the  preceding  one,  that 
they  were  the  original  prayer  recited  by  Moses  as  a  blessing 
on  the  work  of  making  the  Tabernacle  and  its  ornaments, 
and  that  subsequently  he  employed  them  as  the  usual  formula 
of  benediction  for  any  newly  undertaken  task,  whenever  God's 
glorious  Majesty  was  to  be  consulted  for  an  answer  by  Urim  and 
Thummim.f 

Verse  16.  The  Rev.  G.  Maxwell  Gordon's  favourite  text — 
the  Pilgrim  Missionary  of  the  Punjab. 

Verse  1 7.  Prosper  Thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us,  O 
prosper  Thou  our  handy-iiwrk. — These  words,  together  with 
'  Innocency  is  never  better  lodged  than  at  the  sign  of 
labour,'  were  inscribed  on  the  walls  of  the  Concordance 
Room  at  Gidding.  These  harmonies,  or,  as  they  are  always 
called  in  the  family  manuscripts,  the  concordances,  are  most 
interesting.  During  Ferrar's  lifetime,  the  arrangement  of  the 
harmonies  seems  to  have  been  entirely  his  own,  but  all  the 
members  of  the  family,  from  Mrs.  Ferrar  down  to  the  little 
girls,  assisted  in  the  manufacture.  The  method  of  their 
construction    has    been    already    described.       The    following 

*  Percy  Anecdotes. 

f  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  160. 


378  PSALM-MOSAICS 

extract  from  John  Ferrar's  account  of  one  originally  made  for 
their  own  use  will  show  how  much  study  must  have  been 
bestowed  on  the  arrangement : 

'glory  be  to  god  on  high. 

'  The  actions,  doctrines,  and  other  passages  touching  our 
blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  as  they  are  related  by 
the  four  Evangelists,  reduced  into  one  complete  body  of 
history ;  wherein  that  which  is  severally  related  by  them  is 
digested  into  order,  and  that  which  is  jointly  related  by  all,  or 
any  of  them,  is  first  expressed  in  their  own  words  by  way  of 
comparison ;  secondly,  brought  into  one  narration  by  way  of 
composition  ;  thirdly,  extracted  into  clear  context  by  way  of 
collection  ;  yet  so  as  whatsoever  was  omitted  in  the  context  is 
inserted  by  way  of  supplement  in  another  print,  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  all  the  four  Evangelists  may  easily  be  read  severally 
and  distinctly,  each  apart  and  alone,  from  first  to  last.  Done 
at  Little  Gidding,  anno  1630.' 

One  of  these  concordances  was  presented  to  the  King,  and 
it  was  received  by  Charles  with  expressions  of  pleasure,  which 
meant  more  than  mere  royal  courtesy. 

'  It  shall  be  myvade  ?/iecum,'  be  said  to  Cosins,  and  added  to 
Laud,  who  stood  by,  '  How  happy  a  king  were  I  if  I  had  many 
more  such  workmen  and  women  in  my  kingdom !  God's 
blessing  on  their  hearts  and  painful  hands  !' 

This  concordance  remained  in  the  royal  library  at  Windsor 
till  it  was  presented  by  George  IIL  to  the  British  Museum, 
where  it  now  remains."^ 

188. 


PSALM  XCI.  379 


PSALM  XCI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Talismanic  song  in  time  of  war  and 
pestilence. 

Cojitents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David;  concerning  Heze- 
kiah  the  king,  who  was  to  be  surnamed  the  Son  of  David,  and 
spiritually  the  victory  of  the  Messiah  is  spoken  of,  and  of 
everyone  that  is  perfected  in  Him. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm,  which  in  the  Hebrew  has 
no  inscription,  is  by  the  LXX.,  apparently  without  sufficient 
reason,  ascribed  to  David.  ...  Mr.  Plumptre  speaks  of  it  as 
'an  echo,  verse  by  verse  almost,  of  the  words  in  which  Eliphaz 
the  Temanite  (Job  v.  17-23)  describes  the  good  man's  life.' 
There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  Psalm  was  written 
during  the  prevalence  of  a  pestilence,  for  the  variety  of  figures 
employed  shows  that  the  Psalmist  is  thinking  of  peril  of  every 
kind,  coming  from  whatever  source. 

In  Church.— In  the  early  Church  this  Psalm  was  an  especial 
favourite  at  Compline,  being  sung  then  as  a  commendatory 
hymn  at  the  approach  of  the  dangers  and  temptations  of  the 
night.  '  And  when  we  sing  it  devoutly  at  that  time,'  says  St. 
Athanasius,  '  we  shall  often  taste  its  power  and  sweetness,  where- 
with it  so  wondrously  abounds.'"^ 

This  Psalm  is  used  in  the  Greek  Burial  Service,  and  is  the 
sixth  in  the  Greek  Late  Evensong.  It  is  also  appointed 
(among  others)  in  the  Roman  Visitation  of  the  Sick.f 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  has  been  called  the  Invo- 
cavit  Psalm  of  the  Church,  and  in  the  Talmud  'a  song  of 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  163. 
f  hiterleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  283. 


38o  PSALM-MOSAICS 

accidents,'    i.e.^  a  protection   or  talismanic   song  in  times  of 
danger."^ 

The  Talmud  writers  ascribe  not  only  the  91st,  but  the  nine 
ensuing,  to  the  pen  of  Moses ;  but  from  a  rule  which  will  in 
no  respect  hold,  that  all  the  Psalms  which  are  without  the 
name  of  an  author  in  their  respective  titles  are  the  production 
of  the  poet  whose  name  is  given  in  the  nearest  preceding 
title. t 

Stier  mentions  that  some  years  ago  an  eminent  physician  in 
St.  Petersburg  recommended  this  Psalm  as  the  best  preserva- 
tion against  the  cholera. 

The  whole  Lyric  might  well  be  entitled,  'The  Commander's 
Ode,  the  Soldier's  Psalm  of  Life.'  It  helped  to  fortify  the 
courage  as  well  as  piety  of  that  brave  and  admirable  man, 
Captain  Hedley  Vicars.  '  The  little  book  of  Psalms  you  gave 
me,'  he  wrote  to  a  friend,  '  I  take  with  me  whenever  I  go  out 
to  walk.  I  have  just  learned  by  heart  Psalm  xci.,  and  it  has 
filled  me  with  confidence  in  Jesus.' J 

Verse  i .  Whoso  dwelleth  under  the  defence  of  the  Most  High, 
shall  abide  tmder  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. — Some  of  his 
friends  who  knew  the  designs  made  upon  Francis's  life,  tried 
to  induce  him  to  give  up  certain  duties  he  had  undertaken,  but 
in  vain.  '  Whoso  dwelleth  under  the  defence  of  the  Alost  High^ 
shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Ahnighty,''  was  his  quiet 
answer.  '  His  faithfulness  and  truth  shall  be  my  shield  and 
buckler ;  I  trust  wholly  in  Him  !'  and  he  pursued  his  steadfast 
course. 

Here  is  a  specimen  of  the  persecutions  Francis  endured  at 
this  Mission  :  '  In  some  places  the  villagers  refused  even  to 
sell  food  to  the  missionary  ;  he  was  accused  of  being  a  sorcerer, 
and  the  report  was  spread  abroad  that  Francis  had  been  seen 

*    The  Speaker  s  Conivientary,  p    376. 

t  Historical  Outline  of  the  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  M.  Good. 

X   The  Biblical  Museum,  vol.  vi.,  p.  234. 


PSALM  XCI.  381 

at  a  witch's  sabbath,  and  that  he  bore  the  devil's  mark  upon  his 
body  !  One  day  he  was  thus  surrounded  by  an  excited  crowd, 
who  threatened  to  pass  on  from  accusations  to  blows.  Francis 
faced  round  upon  them  with  his  own  placid  smile,  and  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  he  said  aloud,  "  This,  good  friends,  is  the 
only  mark  which  I  bear  in  my  body,  the  only  charm  I  use ; 
but  it  is  all-powerful,  I  fear  no  storm  that  man  can  raise  whilst 
I  am  defended  by  it,  and  in  its  strength  I  am  not  afraid  to 
meet  contending  hosts."  '* 

Verses  9  and  10  (Bible  Version).  Because  thou  hast  made  the 
Lord,  which  is  my  refuge,  even  the  most  High,  thy  habitation  ; 
there  shall  no  evil  befall  thee,  neither  shall  any  plague  come  nigh  thy 
dwelling. — Moudjleyeh  is  not  more  than  half  an  hour  distant  to 
the  south-east  of  El  Bara,  containing  a  great  number  of  private 
houses  surrounding  the  church,  of  which  large  ruins  still 
remain.  But  here,  again,  the  most  striking  and  impressive  of 
the  Christian  remains  is  a  fine  sarcophagus  in  excellent  preser- 
vation, ^with  an  inscription  boldly  carved  on  its  side  from 
Psalm  xci.  9,  10,  a  most  convincing  evidence  that  for  the 
Christians  of  those  days  death  had  lost  its  sting,  the  grave  its 
victory.  For  thus  it  speaks  of  the  departed,  and  to  the  sur- 
vivors : 

'  Thou  hast  made  the  Most  High  thy  refuge— no  evil  shall 
approach  thee— no  plague  come  ?iigh  thy  dwelling .'^ 

Verse  11.  For  He  shall  give  His  angels  charge  over  thee,  to 
keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways. — This  verse  is  quoted  in  the  tempta- 
tion of  our  Lord  by  Satan  (St.  Matt.  iv.  6).  If  the  words 
were,  as  we  have  supposed,  spoken  originally  with  regard  to 
Solomon,  they  have  a  prophetic  reference  to  our  Lord, 
of  whom  Solomon  in  his  kingdom  of  peace  is  a  signal 
type.i 

*  Life  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales,  p.  66. 

f  Dr.  Neale's  Holy  Eastern  Church  :  Patriarchate  of  Antioch,  xxxvi. 

X  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  293. 


382  PSALM-MOSAICS 

St.  Frances  of  Rome. — It  is  unnecessary  to  do  more  than 
refer  to  the  beautiful  legend  of  St.  Frances  of  Rome,  who 
is  alleged  to  have  been  favoured  with  actual  vision  of  her 
guardian  angel,  seeing  him  withdraw  when  she  fell  into 
voluntary  sin,  and  return  on  her  repentance;  and  on  one 
occasion,  when  she  had  been  called  away  several  times  from 
her  prayers,  and  had  resumed  them  only  to  meet  with  fresh 
interruptions,  to  have  found  the  petition  she  had  again  and 
again  commenced,  written  in  her  office-book  with  letters  of  gold 
by  no  human  hand."^ 

Edmu7id  Spenser : 

*  And  is  there  care  in  heaven,  and  is  there  love 
In  heavenly  spirits  to  these  creatures  base, 
That  may  compassion  of  their  evils  move  ? 
There  is,  else  much  more  wretched  were  the  race 
Of  men  than  beasts.     But  oh,  the  exceeding  grace 
Of  highest  God,  that  loves  His  creatures  so, 

And  all  His  works  with  mercy  doth  embrace, 

That  blessed  angels  he  sends  to  and  fro, 

To  serve  us  wicked  men,  to  serve  his  wicked  foe  ! 

*  How  oft  do  they  their  silver  bowers  leave, 
To  come  to  succour  us  that  succour  want  ! 
How  oft  do  they  with  golden  pinions  cleave 
The  flitting  skies,  like  flying  pursuivant, 
Against  foul  fiends  to  aid  us  militant  ! 
They  for  us  fight,  they  watch  and  duly  ward, 
And  their  bright  squadrons  round  about  us  plant ; 
And  all  for  love,  and  nothing  for  reward. 

Oh,  why  should  heavenly  God  to  man  have  such  regard  ?' 

John  Henry  Newman  : 

'  My  oldest  friend,  mine  from  the  hour 

When  first  I  drew  my  breath  ; 
My  faithful  friend,  that  shall  be  mine, 
Unfailing,  till  my  death. 

*  Thou  hast  been  ever  at  my  side  ; 
My  Maker  to  thy  trust 
Consigned  my  soul,  what  time  He  framed 
The  infant  child  of  dust. 


Dr.  Neale's  Comniejitayy,  vol.  iii.,  p.  179. 


PSALM  XCI.  383 

*  No  beating  heart  in  holy  prayer, 

No  faith,  inform'd  aright. 
Gave  me  to  Joseph's  tutelage, 
Or  Michael's  conquering  might. 

'  Nor  patron  saint,  nor  Mary's  love, 
The  dearest  and  the  best, 
Has  known  my  being  as  thou  hast  knovi'n. 
And  blest  as  thou  hast  blest. 

*  Thou  wast  my  sponsor  at  the  font, 

And  thou,  each  budding  year, 
Didst  whisper  elements  of  truth 
Into  my  childish  ear. 

'And  when,  ere  boyhood  yet  was  gone. 
My  rebel  spirit  fell, 
Ah,  thou  didst  see,  and  shudder  too. 
Yet  bear  each  deed  of  Hell. 

'  And  then  in  turn,  when  judgments  came. 

And  scared  me  back  again. 
Thy  quick  soft  breath  was  near  to  soothe 
And  hallow  every  pain. 

*  Oh,  who  of  all  thy  toils  and  cares 

Can  tell  the  tale  complete, 
To  place  me  under  Mary's  smile, 
And  Peter's  royal  feet  ? 

'  And  thou  wilt  hang  about  my  bed 
When  life  is  ebbing  low. 
Of  doubt,  impatience,  and  of  gloom, 
The  jealous,  sleepless  foe. 

'  Mine,  when  I  stand  before  the  Judge  ; 
And  mine,  if  spared  to  stay 
Within  the  golden  furnace,  till 
My  sin  is  burn'd  away. 

'And  mine,  O  Brother  of  my  soul, 
When  my  release  shall  come  ; 
Thy  gentle  arms  shall  lift  me  then. 
Thy  wings  shall  waft  me  home.'* 

Verse  12.  They  shall  bear  thee  in  their  hands,  that  thou 
hurt  7iot  thy  foot  against  a  stone.  —  That  evening  I  more 
thoroughly  understood  M.  Ozanain  than  ever  before.  It  was 
with  tears  of  affection,  of  fatherly  kindness,  and  of  holy 
earnestness  and  enthusiasm,  that  he  answered  me.  Our  wish 
to  devote  ourselves  to  God's  service  by  means  of  science  and 

*    Verses  o?i  Various  Occasions,  by  Cardinal  Newman,  p.  276. 


384  PSALM-MOSAICS 

literature ;  our  plan  of  joining  the  Abbe  Gratray,  then  Chap- 
lain of  the  Ecole  Normale ;  and  our  dream  of  a  studious  con- 
gregation which  we  did  not  as  yet  call  the  Oratoire — all  these 
dreams  and  hopes,  which  might  never  come  to  anything, 
assumed  a  living  reality  at  once  to  a  soul  so  ready  to  believe  in 
all  that  is  good  as  his  was.  He  looked  at  it  all,  not  as  we  then 
were,  or  as  we  are  actually,  or  even  as  we  can  hope  to  be  for  a 
long  time  ;  and  if  anything  can  be  a  consolation  for  not  having 
had  him  to  assist  in  these  humble  beginnings  of  our  works, 
which  have  been  so  blessed  by  God,  it  is  the  knowledge  that, 
at  all  events,  our  first  start  was  appreciated  by  him.  All  through 
that  evening  he  cheered  me  with  his  kindly  words  and  good 
wishes  ;  and  then,  with  a  close  embrace,  we  parted. 

I  went  homewards,  intoxicated  with  joy,  hope,  and  strength. 
I  wanted  to  feed  upon  my  happiness  in  solitude,  far  from  all 
men.  It  was  late ;  but,  unheeding  that,  I  took  a  mountain 
path,  and  went  on  hke  a  madman,  looking  at  the  heavens,  re- 
gardless of  earth.  Suddenly  an  instinct  made  me  draw  hastily 
back.  I  was  on  the  very  edge  of  a  precipice  ;  one  step  more, 
and  I  must  have  fallen.  I  took  fright,  and  gave  up  my  noc- 
turnal wanderings.  Dearly  beloved  child,  you  need  not  fear  ; 
you  were  upheld  by  angels.  I  believe  in  the  loving  promise, 
'  T/iey  shall  bear  thee  in  their  hands,  that  thou  hurt  not  thy 
foot  against  a  stone:  The  angels  bore  you  up  all  your  life, 
until  they  bore  you  to  God's  Bosom.* 

Verse  13.  Thou  shall  go  upon  the  lion  and  adder ;  the 
young  lion  and  the  dragon  shall  thou  tread  under  thy  feet. — In 
the  earlier  portion  of  his  life,  the  late  Emperor  xAlexander  of 
Russia  was  a  man  of  the  world.  According  to  his  own  con- 
fession, however,  he  found  no  real  satisfaction  in  all  the 
luxuries  which  it  was  easy  for  him  to  obtain.  Conscience 
spoke  more  loudly  than  the  world,  and  he  strove  with  great 
assiduity  to  subdue  his  own  passions,  daily  reading  his  Bible, 
which  he  always  took  about  with  him.     In  181 3  he  left  St. 

*  Henri  Perreyve,  p.  88. 


PSALM  XCI.  385. 

Petersburg  to  join  the  army.  A  lady  of  Court,  to  whom  his 
sentiments  were  known,  gave  him,  at  his  departure  from  Riga, 
a  copy  of  Psahn  xci,,  and  begged  of  him  to  read  it  often.  The 
Emperor  took  the  paper,  hastily  put  it  into  his  pocket,  pursued 
his  journey,  and,  as  he  travelled  three  successive  days  without 
undressing,  quite  forgot  the  incident.  On  the  frontier,  how- 
ever, he  attended  a  sermon  on  Psalm  xci.  13:  '  Thou  shalt  go 
upon  the  lw?i  afid  adder  ;  the  yoimg  liofi  arid  drago?i  shalt  thou 
tread  under  thy  feet.  ^  This  sermon,  which  seemed  to  have  in 
it  something  prophetic,  excited  his  attention,  and,  in  looking 
over  his  papers  that  same  evening,  he  found  the  lady's  copy  of 
Psalm  xci. 

He  read  it  with  emotion,  and  considered  the  impressive  co- 
incidence as  urging  him  to  aspire  more  zealously  after  true 
religion."^ 

George  Tinivorth^  now  in  Sir  Henry  Doulton's  terra-cotta 
works  at  Lambeth,  is  a  sculptor  chiefly  noted  for  his  Scriptural 
subjects.     He  has  a  keen  sense  of  humour.     In  a  panel  of 

*  Daniel  in  the  Lions'  Den '  a  young  lion  stands  on  his  hind- 
legs  to  read  something  on  the  wall.  It  is  Psalm  xci.,  which 
says:  '  Thou  shalt  tread  upon  the  lion  and  adder;  the  young 
lion  arid  the  dragon  shalt  thou  tread  under  thy  feet. ^  The  young 
lion's  concern  is  explicable  immediately,  and  even  Daniel's 
peril  for  the  moment  cannot  prevent  a  smile  from  the  spec- 
tator. 

Alexander  III.,  as  he  placed  his  foot  on  the  neck  of  Fried- 
rich  Barbarossa,  in  the  porch  of  St.  Mark's  at  Venice,  repeated, 

*  Super  aspidem  et  leo7iem  ambulabis.^ 

Verse  16.    With  lo?ig  life  ivill  I  satisfy  him. 

'  He  liveth  long  who  liveth  well  ! 

All  other  lile  is  short  and  vain  ; 
He  liveth  longest  who  can  tell 
Of  living  most  for  heavenly  gain. 

*    Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  1 863,  p.  289. 

25 


386  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'  He  liveth  long  who  liveth  well  ! 
All  else  is  being  flung  away  ; 
He  liveth  longest  who  can  tell 

Of  true  things  truly  done  each  day 


PSALM  XCII. 

Headi?ig  (Delitzsch).— Sabbath  Thoughts. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  subject  is  the  praise  of  God  ;  praise 
is  Sabbatic  work. 

Cofitents  (Syriac). — Anonymous;  concerning  the  ministry  of 
the  Priests,  and  their  Morning  Oblation ;  a  prophecy  also  con- 
cerning rest  in  the  Lord. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  called  a  Psalm  for  the 
Sabbath-day,  and,  as  we  learn  from  the  Talmud,  was  appointed 
to  be  used  in  the  Temple  service  on  that  day.  It  was  sung  in 
the  morning  when,  on  the  offering  of  the  first  lamb^  the  wine 
was  poured  out  as  a  drink  offering  unto  the  Lord  (Numb, 
xxviii.  9). 

Ifi  Church. — In  the  Hebrew  Ritual,  after  the  Captivity,  this 
and  the  two  consecutive  Psalms  were  appointed  to  be  sung : 
the  present  Psalm  on  the  Sabbath,  Psalm  xciii.  on  Good 
Friday,  Psalm  xciv.  on  Wednesday. 

It  was  also  sung  on  the  second  day  of  the  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles.f 

The  Whole  Psalm. — There  is  a  singular  Rabbinical  legend 
that  this  Psalm  was  the  song  of  praise  uttered  by  Adam  as  the 
first  Sabbath  dawned  upon  the  world,  and  that  it  descended 
by  tradition  as  the  special  hymn  for  that  day.  More  con- 
sonant with  actual  history  is  the  fact  that  it  was  sung  in  the 
Temple  on  the  Sabbath,  at  the  offering  of  the  first  lamb  in  the 
morning,  when  the  wine  was  poured  out,  and  continues  still  in 

*  Dr.  Bonar. 

f  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Coin/nentary,  p.  148. 


PSALM  XCII.  387 

use  as  a  Sabbatical  Psalm  in  the  rites  of  the  synagogue ;  and 
that  the  Roman  Church,  amongst  other  tokens  of  the  powerful 
Judaizing  influence  which  affected  its  earliest  days,  retains  it 
as  part  of  the  Saturday  Lauds  in  the  Breviary.  Further,  there 
is  a  distinct  reference  in  this  second  verse  to  the  morning  and 
evening  sacrifice;  while  more  than  one  Rabbi  is  careful  to 
point  out  that  the  happy  Sabbath  of  which  the  Psalmist  sings 
is  not  one  of  the  present  time,  but  belongs  to  the  future  reve- 
lation of  Messiah  in  His  glory."^ 

Ve7'se  4.  For  Thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me  glad  through  lliy 
works. — This  Psalm  is  called  by  Dante  {Purg.  xxviii.  80)  // 
Salmo  Delectasti,  because,  in  the  Vulgate,  the  fourth  verse  begins 
with  the  word,  '  Thou  hast  made  me  glad.'  A  beautiful  female 
form,  representing  the  higher  life,  is  introduced  as  saying,  '  She 
is  so  happy,  because  she  can  sing,  like  the  Psalm  Z)electasti\ 
*'  Thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me  glad  through  Thy  works."  't 

Verse  5.    O  Lord,  how  glorious  are  Thy  -works  I 

'  These  are  Thy  glorious  works,  Parent  of  good, 
Almighty,  Thine  this  universal  frame, 
Thus  wondrous  fair  ;  Thyself  how  wondrous  then  ! 
Unspeakable,  Who  sittest  above  these  heavens, 
To  us  invisible,  or  dimly  seen 
In  these  Thy  lowest  works,  yet  these  declare 
Thy  goodness  beyond  thought,  and  power  divine.  + 

Verse  11.  TJie  righteous  shall  flourish  as  a  palm-tree. — Be- 
sides this,  there  are  only  two  passages  in  the  Old  Testament 
where  the  palm  is  used  in  comparison — Cant.  vii.  7,  where  it 
is  said  of  the  bride,  '  Thy  stature  is  like  to  a  palm-tree  ' ;  Jer. 
X.  5,  where  the  idols  are  said  to  be  '  upright  as  a  palm-tree ' ; 
and  one  in  the  Apocrypha,  Ecclus.  xxiv.  14,  'I  was  exalted 
like  a  palm-tree  in  Engaddi.'  This,  as  Dr.  Howson  (Smith's 
Dictio?iary  of  the  Bible,  art.  '  Palm-Tree ')  has  noticed,  is  remark- 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  186, 

t   The  Fsalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  121. 

X  Paradise  Lost,  v.  153. 


388  PSALM-MOSAICS 

able,  considering  the  beauty  of  the  tree,  and  its  frequent  recur- 
rence in  the  scenery  of  Palestine."^ 

In  Ti)no7i  of  Athens,  the  painter  says  to  the  poet,  speaking 
of  Timon  : 

*  You    shall  see  him   a  palm  in  Athens  again,  and  flourish   with   the 
highest.'— Act  V.,  Sc.  i. 

The  notion  of   '  flourishing  hke  a  palm-tree '  is  one  with 
which  we  are  familiar  from  Psalm  xcii..  i2.f 


PSALM  XCIII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  Royal  throne  above  the  sea  of 
the  peoples. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Psalm  of  Omnipotent  Sovereignty. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  —  concerning  the 
ministry  of  the  Lord. 

I?i  CJmrch. — This  is  still  a  Friday  Psalm  in  the  Jewish  use,, 
whence  it  seems  that  the  titles  here  and  elsewhere  found  in  the 
LXX.,  but  not  in  the  Hebrew,  were  added  for  ritual  purposes 
by  the  Alexandrian  Jews,  whose  use  differed  in  some  respects, 
from  that  of  Jerusalem.  % 

In  the  Graeco-Russian  Church,  after  the  washing  of  the 
Altar  Throne  in  the  Consecration  of  a  Church,  the  priests  take 
the  Stratchitza  (the  linen  covering  for  the  Throne),  sprinkle  it 
with  holy  water,  and  put  it  on  the  Throne,  tying  it  extremely 
smooth  and  tight  by  a  thick  cotton  cord,  bound  three  times, 
round  the  table  in  a  dent  made  for  the  purpose  in  the  thick 
board ;  this  is  covered  with  the  Inditia  (covering  for  the  Throne)^ 
while  the  choir  sings  the  93rd  Psalm. § 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  180.. 
t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  330. 


^ — —  . ,  ^.  ^^~ 

^  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  195. 
§  Gneco- Russian  Church,  p.  91. 


PSALM  XCIIL  389 

The  Whole  Z'^^/;;/.— November  3,  1640,  Lord  Strafford  was 
impeached  before  the  Long  Parhament  and  sent  to  the  Tower, 
and  the  Archbishop  was  next  attacked.  .  .  .  The  debate  which 
followed  ended — as  in  the  temper  of  the  House  it  was  certain 
to  do— in  a  vote  that  the  Archbishop  was  a  traitor.  Allowed 
the  afternoon  at  Lambeth  to  collect  papers  for  his  defence,  he 
attended  the  Evening  Prayers  for  the  last  time  in  the  chapel 
that  he  had  repaired  and  adorned  with  loving  care.  The  service, 
which  he  had  restored  to  its  full  beauty,  soothed  that  bitter  hour. 
'The  Psalms  of  the  Day  (Dec.  18th)  and  chapter  1.  of  Isaiah  gave 
me  great  comfort.  God  make  me  worthy  to  receive  it,'  he 
wrote  in  his  diary.  He  remained  in  the  custody  of  Maxwell 
(the  Usher  of  the  Black  Rod)  ten  weeks.* 

Verses  14-18.  Thou  didst  divide  the  sea  through  Thy  power. 
.  .  .  Thou  hroughtest  out  fountaifis  and  waters.  .  .  .  The  day  is 
thine,  and  the  night  is  thine.  .  .  .  Thou  hast  set  all  the  borders 
of  the  earth,  Thou  hast  made  sunimer  and  winter. — Milton  has  a 
very  sweet  passage,  the  structure  of  which  was  probably  suggested 
by  Virgil,  not,  however,  without  an  eye  to  this  portion  of  our 
Psalm,  to  which  it  bears  a  resemblance  in   sentiment  as  in 


'5 
form  : 


Thus  at  their  shady  lodge  arrived,  both  stood, 
Both  turned,  and  under  open  sky  adored 
The  God  that  made  both  sky,  air,  earth,  and  heaven, 
Which  they  beheld,  the  moon's  resplendent  globe, 
And  starry  pole  :  Thou  also  madest  the  night, 
Maker  Omnipotent,  and  Thou  the  day.' 

Paradise  Lost,  iv.  f 


PSALM  XCIV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— The  consolation  of  prayer  under  the 
oppression  of  tyrants. 

Title  (Spurgeon).— This  Psalm  is  another  pathetic  form  of 
the  old  enigma — '  Wherefore  do  the  wicked  prosper  ?' 

*  Sir  Christopher   Wren  and  his    Times  :   Monthly  Packet,  vol.   xxv., 

chap,  ii.,  p.  152- 

t  Mant  on  The  Psalms,  p.  244. 


390 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


Con  fen  fs  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — concerning  the  con- 
gregation of  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram ;  and  spiritually 
concerning  the  persecutions  of  the  Church. 


Origin  (Perowne). — By  the  LXX.  this  is  called  'A  lyric 
Psalm  of  David,  for  the  fourth  day  of  the  week '  {rsTpddt 
aa[3[3dTov).  It  is  probably  not  a  Psalm  of  David,  but  the  latter 
part  of  the  Inscription  accords  with  the  Talmudic  tradition  that 
it  was  the  Psalm  appointed  to  be  used  in  the  Temple  on  the 
fourth  day  of  the  week. 

In  Church. — Appointed  in  the  Hebrew  Ritual  to  be  sung  on 
the  fourth  and  fifth  days  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.* 

Psalm  xciv.  was  a  constant  Psalm  for  the  fourth  day  of  the 
week  in  the  Temple  Service  throughout  the  year. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  was  read  by  the  besieged 
English  in  the  little  house  at  Arrah,  Bengal,  during  the  Mutiny, 
when  the  natives  tried  to  smoke  them  out  by  burning  mounds 
of  chillies.  The  wind  veered  round,  and  so  the  little  party 
were  saved. 

Verse  7.  The  Lord  shall  not  see.,  fieither  shall  the  God  of 
Jacob  regard  it. — The  scholars  of  Rabbi  Johanan,  the  son  of 
Zakai,  asked  of  their  teacher  this  question  : 

'  Wherefore  is  it  that,  according  to  the  law,  the  punishment 
of  a  highwayman  is  not  so  severe  as  the  punishment  of  a  sneak 
thief?  According  to  the  Mosaic  law,  if  a  man  steals  an  ox  or 
a  sheep,  and  kills  it  or  sells  it,  he  is  required  to  restore  five 
oxen  for  the  one  ox,  and  four  sheep  for  the  one  sheep  (Exodus 
xxi.  37),  but  for  the  highwayman  we  find,  "When  he  hath 
sinned,  and  is  conscious  of  his  guilt,  he  shall  restore  that  he 
hath  taken  violently  away ;  he  shall  restore  it  and  its  principal, 
and  the  fifth  part  thereof  he  shall  add  thereto."  Therefore,  he 
who  commits  a  highway  robbery  pays  as  punishment  one-fifth 
of  the  same,  while  a  sneak  thief  is  obliged  to  return  five  oxen 
for  one  ox,  and  four  sheep  for  one  sheep.  Wherefore  is  this?' 
*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commoitary,  p.  150. 


PSALM  XCIV.  391 

'Because,'  replied  the  teacher,  'the  highway  robber  treats 
the  servant  as  the  master.  He  takes  away  violently  in  the 
presence  of  the  servant,  the  despoiled  man,  and  the  master, 
God.  But  the  sneak  thief  imagines  that  God's  eye  is  not  upon 
him.  He  acts  secretly,  thinking  as  the  Psalmist  says,  "77/^ 
Lord  doth  not  see,  iieither  will  the  God  of  Jacob  regard  it'' 
Listen  to  a  parable  :  Two  men  made  a  feast.  One  invited  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and  omitted  inviting  the  king.  The 
other  invited  neither  the  king  nor  his  subjects.  Which  one 
deserves  condemnation  ?  Certainly  the  one  that  invited  the 
subjects  and  not  the  king.  The  people  of  the  earth  are  God's 
subjects.  The  sneak  thief  fears  their  eyes,  yet  he  does  not 
honour  the  eye  of  the  King,  the  eye  of  God,  which  watches  all 
his  actions.' 

Rabbi  Meir  says :  '  This  last  teaches  us  how  God  regards 
industry.  If  a  person  steals  an  ox  he  must  return  five  in  its 
place,  because,  while  the  animal  was  in  his  unlawful  possession, 
it  could  not  work  for  its  rightful  owner.  A  lamb,  however, 
does  no  labour,  and  is  not  profitable  that  way,  therefore  he  is 
only  obliged  to  replace  it  fourfold.'^ 

Verse  12.  Blessed  is  the  man  ivho?n  Thou  chastenest^  O  Lord: 
and  teachest  hi?n  in  Thy  law. — As  the  Bible  teaches  that  'it  is' 
— or  may  and  ought  to  be — 'good  to  be  afflicted'  (Ps.  cxix.  71), 
and  that  troubles  are  mercifully  sent  to  try  us  for  our  greater 
benefit,  or  to  wean  us  from  evil  (see  Job  v.  17  ;  Ps.  xciv.  12; 
Heb.  xii.  5-1 1),  so  we  learn  upon  the  testimony  of  the  banished 
Duke  in  As  You  Like  Lt,  Act  II.,  Sc.  i. : 

'  Sweet  are  the  uses  of  adversity  ; 
Which  like  the  toad,  ugly  and  venomous, 
Wears  yet  a  precious  jewel  in  his  head.' 

And  Leontes  confesses,  in  Winters  Tale : 

'  Affliction  has  a  taste  as  sweet 
As  any  cordial  comfort.' 

Act  v.,  Sc.  iii. 

*  Talmud,  p.  281. 


392  PSALM-MOSAICS 

And  the  wise  Nestor  is  made  to  say, 

*  In  the  reproof  of  chance 
Lies  the  true  proof  of  men.' 

Troilus  and  Crcssida,  Act  I. ,  Sc.  iii. 

And  Antony  would  give  us  this  advice  : 

'  Bid  that  welcome 
Which  comes  to  punish  us  ;  and  we  punish  it, 
Seeming  to  bear  it  lightly.' 

Antony  ajid  Cleopatra,  Act  IV.,  Sc.  xii."^ 


PSALM  XCV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Call  to  the  worship  of  God  and  to 
obedience  to  His  Word. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — We  will  call  it  the  Psalm  of  Provocation. 

Cojttents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — literally,  when  the 
people  passed  over  Jordan ;  in  which  also  the  Psalmist  showeth 
the  cutting  off  of  the  hope  of  the  Jews;  I  was  wearied  with 
this  generation :  so  that  I  sw are  in  my  wrath. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  is  one  of  a  series  intended 
for  the  Temple  worship,  and  possibly  composed  for  some  festal 
occasion.  ...  As  to  the  date  of  its  composition  nothing  certain 
can  be  said.  The  LXX.  calls  it  a  Psalm  of  David ;  and  the  writer 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  in  making  a  quotation  from  the 
Psalm,  uses  the  expression  '  in  David,'  but  this  is  evidently  only 
equivalent  to  saying  'in  the  Psalms.'  In  the  Hebrew  it  has  no 
Inscription. 

I?i  Church. — In  the  Orthodox  Eastern  Church  in  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Penance  (Psalm  xcv.  6  to  it,  and  Psalm  li.).t 

The  Greeks  have  founded  the  Invitatory  with  which  they 
begin  their  Offices  on  this  Psalm  : 

*  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  256. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentar}',  vol.  iv.,  p.  268. 


PSALM  XCV.  393 

'Come,  let  us  worship  and  fall  clown  before  God  our  King. 

'  Come,  let  us  worship  and  fall  down  before  Christ  the  Kintr  our 
God. 

'Come,  let  us  worship  and  fall  down  before  Christ  our  Kin<z  and 
God.' 

In  the  West  the  Psalm,  or  an  Invitatory  founded  upon  it, 
has  been  constantly  used.* 

The  Whole  Psalm.  —  This  Psalm  is  twice  quoted  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  as  a  warning  to  the  Jewish  Christians 
at  Jerusalem  in  the  writer's  day,  that  they  should  not  falter  in 
the. faith,  and  despise  God's  promises  as  their  forefathers  had 
done  in  the  wilderness,  lest  they  should  fail  of  entering  into 
His  rest ;  see  Hebrews  iii.  7,  w^iere  verse  7  of  this  Psalm  is 
introduced  with  the  words,  '  As  the  Holy  Ghost  saith.  To- 
day, if  ye  will  hear  My  voice ;'  see  Hebrews  iv.  7,  where  it  is 
said,  'Again,  He  limiteth  a  certain  day,  saying  iji  David^ 
To-day.' 

It  has  been  inferred  by  some  from  these  words  that  the 
writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  ascribes  the  Psalm  to 
David.  It  may  be  so.  But  it  seems  not  improbable  that  the 
words  '  in  David '  mean  simply  the  Book  of  Psalms,  the  whole 
being  named  from  the  greater  part. 

It  is  not  entitled  in  the  Hebrews  a  Psalm  of  David,  but  it  is 
so  called  in  the  LXX.f 

The  95th  Psalm  has  been  used  from  the  very  earliest  period 
at  the  commencement  of  daily  service.  Thus  Athanasius 
writes  of  the  Constantinopolitan  office  :  '  Before  the  beginning 
of  their  prayers,  the  Christians  invite  and  exhort  one  another 
in  the  words  of  this  Psalm.'  In  the  West  the  whole  Psalm  has 
been  usually  repeated ;  in  the  East  an  Invitatory  to  public 
worship,  based  on  the  first,  third  and  sixth  verses  of  it.  Before 
1549,  short  invitatories,  texts,   or  versicles  waking  to   praise 

*  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  287. 

t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Covunentary,  p.  151. 


394  PSALM-MOSAICS 

were  commonly  inserted  between  the  various  verses ;  in  1549 
the  Psalm  was  directed  to  be  said  or  sung  without  any 
Invitatory."^ 

Honorius  of  Auhm  observes  in  the  Genuna  A?iinice  on  the 
Christian  use  of  this  Psalm,  that  the  Precentor  who  begins  the 
invitatory  is  the  herald  who  summons  the  soldiers  of  the  watch 
to  mount  guard,  and  when  he  has  done  his  part,  all  join  in 
singing  the  Venite  as  soldiers  assembling  in  camp  to  praise 
their  king.  And  then  they  apportion  the  watches  amongst 
themselves,  as  they  proceed  to  chant  the  three  nocturns.f 


PSALM  XCVI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — A  greeting  of  the  coming  kingdom  of 
God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  grand  Missionary  Hymn. 

Conte?its  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — a  prophecy  concern- 
ing the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles 
that  should  believe  in  Him. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — The  LXX.  has  a  double  inscription  : 

(1)  org  6  o/Tios  i^'yivhoiJ^ilro  [Xira  ryjv  aiyjjAihM  criav,  which  is 
probably  correct,  as  indicating  that  the  Psalm  was  composed 
after  the  Exile,  and  for  the  service  of  the  second  Temple. 

(2)  wo//  rw  Xavlb,  which  seems  to  contradict  the  other,  but 
was  no  doubt  occasioned  by  the  circumstance  that  this  Psalm, 
together  with  portions  of  Psalms  cv.  and  cvi.,  is  given,  with 
some  variations,  by  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Chronicles,  as 
the  great  festal  hymn  which  '  Uavid  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  Asaph  and  his  brethren  to  thank  the  Lord,'  on  the  day 
when  the  Ark  was  brought  into  the  sanctuary  in  Zion. 

*  Interleaved  Praycr-Book,  p.  6l. 

t   Dr.  Neale's  Cofnfuetitary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  217. 


PSALM  XCVI.  395 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Sarum  Use  and 
Latin  Use  for  Christmas  Day,  and  for  the  festivals  of  the 
Circumcision,  Epiphany,  and  Trinity  Sunday."^ 

The  Whole  Fsal??i. — This  Psalm  has  been  rightly  designated 
as  a  missionary  hymn  for  all.f 

St.  Augustine  makes  mention  of  a  young  man,  whose  name 
was  Theodorus,  a  Christian,  who  was  seized  by  Salustius,  the 
officer  of  a  tyrant,  who  persecuted  the  Professors  of  Christianity; 
and  they  report  that  from  the  break  of  day  until  the  tenth  hour 
they  inflicted  torments  upon  him.  Nevertheless,  being  set  on 
horseback,  and  on  both  sides  tortured  by  executioners,  he,  with 
a  cheerful  voice,  sang  the  96th  Psalm,  which  the  congregation 
had  the  day  before  recited.  Which  undaunted  constancy  the 
officer  perceiving,  sent  him  back  again  to  prison,  reporting  to 
the  emperor  what  was  done,  and  withal  told  him  that,  unless  he 
forbare  to  exercise  such  cruelties,  it  would  redound  to  their 
glory  and  his  shame.]: 

Verse  i.  Sing  unto  the  Lord. — As  Abbot  Absalom  says, 
'  When  the  speech  does  not  jar  with  the  life,  there  is  a  sweet 
harmony.' — Le  Blanc. 

Verse  10.  Say  among  the  heathen  that  the  Lord  reigneth. — 
'Dominus  regnavit  a  ligno.'  These  words  occur  in  some 
of  the  Fathers  as  a  quotation  from  Psalm  xcv.  10,  at  which 
place  the  Hebrew,  the  Latin  Vulgate,  and  others  only  have 
'  Dominus  regnavit,'  or  its  equivalent.  Commiodian  thus 
speaks : 

*  In  Psalmis  canitur  Dominus  regnavit  a  ligno, 
Exultent  terrae,  jocundentur  insulae  multas.' 

Carfji.  Apologet.,  ver.  290. 


*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Co7)i?neittaiy,  p.  152. 

t    The  Preachers  Cotnvientary,  p.  388. 

X  A  Preparation  to  the  Psalter,  by  G.  Wither,  chap.  xiv. 


396  PSALM-MOSAICS 

The  hymn  which  commences 

'  Vexilla  Regis  prodeunt,' 
has  the  following  : 

*  Impleta  sunt  quce  concinit 
David  fideli  carmine, 
Dicens  in  nationibus 
Regnavit  a  lingo  Deus.' 

The  earliest  Father  who  refers  to  the  expression  is  a  very 
early  one  indeed — St.  Justin,  who  was  martyred  167.  In  his 
dialogue  with  the  Jew  Trypho,  he  complains  of  the  Jews  having 
removed  the  words  'a  ligno '  from  Psalm  xcvi.  10,  leaving  only 
the  words  '  Dominus  regnavit.'    Kai  arrl  roX)  Ivivny.od-tZ  -rs/x-rcj 

raura?  'Ato  roZ  (Ji^Xov.  To  this  Trypho  made  no  other  answer 
than  :  '  Whether,  as  you  assert,  the  princes  of  the  people  have 
taken  away  anything  from  the  Scriptures,  God  knows.'  It  does 
not  appear  that  any  MSS.  of  the  Latin  Vulgate  now  existing 
contain  the  words  '  a  ligno,'  but  the  Fathers,  Tertullian,  Lac- 
tantius,  and  others,  read  them  in  copies  extant  in  their  time, 
and  the  words  were  so  well  known  and  generally  received  that 
the  Church  retained  them  in  the  divine  office,  and  Fortunatus 
in  the  sixth  century  introduced  them  into  his  hymn,  '  Vexilla 
Regis.'* 

Verse  12.  Let  the  field  be  joyful,  a  fid  all  that  is  in  it:  then 
shall  all  the  trees  of  the  ivood  rejoice  before  the  Lord. — 'Wave 
high,  ye  woods,  in  worship,  wave  the  head,'  is  Bishop  Mant's 
translation,  for  the  Hebrew  word  rendered  in  our  translation 
'  rejoice '  expresses  the  vibratory  motion,  either  of  a  dancer's 
feet  or  of  a  singer's  lip.  The  reader  will  be  reminded  of  Adam 
and  Eve's  Morning  Hymn  : 

•'  Wave  your  fops,  ye  pines, 
With  every  plant,  in  sign  of  worship,  wave. 

Paradise  Lost,  v.t 


*  Notes  and  Queries,  vol.  viii.,  2nd  Scries,  pp.  470,  517. 
t  Mant  on  The  Psalms,  p.  327. 


PSALM  XCVII. 


397 


Verses  12,  13.  Let  the  field  be  joyful,  and  all  that  is  in  it: 
then  shall  all  the  trees  of  the  zvood  rejoice  before  the  Lord. 

For  ILe  conieth,  for  He  co7?ieth  to  judge  the  earth :  and  ivith 
righteousness  to  judge  the  world,  and  the  people  with  ILis  truth. 

'  It  chanced  upon  the  merry,  merry  Christmas  eve, 

I  went  sighing  past  the  church  across  the  moorland  dreary, 
Oh  !  never  sin  and  want  and  woe  this  earth  will  leave, 

And  the  bells  but  mock  the  wailing  sound,  they  sing  so  cheery, 
How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long  before  Thou  come  again  ? 

Still  in  cellar,  and  in  garret,  and  in  moorland  dreary, 
The  orphans  moan,  and  widows  weep,  and  poor  men  toil  in  vain. 

Till  earth  is  sick  of  hope  deferred,  though  Christmas  bells  be  cheery. 

*  Then  arose  a  joyous  clamour  from  the  wild  fowl  on  the  mere, 
Beneath  the  stars,  across  the  snow,  like  clear  bells  ringing, 
And  a  voice  within  cried,   Listen  I  Christmas  carols  even  here  ! 

Though  thou  be  dumb,  yet  o'er  their  work,  the  stars  and  snows  are 
singing. 
Blind  !  I  live,  I  love,  I  reign  ;  and  all  the  nations  through, 

With  the  thunder  of  My  judgments  even  now  are  ringing  ; 
Do  thou  fulfil  thy  work  but  as  yon  wild  fowl  do, 

Thou  wilt  heed  no  less  the  wailing,  yet  hear  through  it  angels  singing.'* 


PSALM  XCVII. 

-^(^^^/^/^(Delitzsch). — The  breaking  through  of  the  kingdom 
of  God,  the  Judge  and  Saviour. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  in  which  he  prophesies 
concerning  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and  in  which,  also,  he 
alludes  to  His  revelation  at  the  last. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — The  use  of  the  past  tenses  in  verses  4-8, 
and  in  particular  the  vivid  language  in  verse  8,  where  Zion  and 
the  daughters  of  Judah  rejoice  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah's 
judgments,  are  most  naturally  explained  as  occasioned  by  some 
historical  event,  some  great  national  deliverance  or  triumph  of 
recent  occurrence  ;  such,  for  instance,  as  the  overthrow  of 
Babylon  and  the  restoration  of  the  theocracy. 

Ln  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Gregorian  and 
Sarum  Use  for  Christmas  Day,  and  also  for  the  Circumcision 
*  Charles  Kingsley,  1858. 


398  PSALM -MOSAICS 

in  both  the  Latin  and  Sarum  Use,  and  for  Trinity  Sunday  in 
the  Latin  Use. 

In  verse  1 1  are  the  words  '  Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous,' 
a  spiritual  interpretation  of  which  seems  to  suggest  its  use  on 
Christmas  Day  and  Trinity  Sunday.  '  Christ,  the  Light  of  the 
World,  was  sown  in  darkness  ;  but  after  His  Resurrection  from 
the  Dead,  His  Gospel  illumined  the  World  with  the  glory  of  the 
ever-blessed  Trinity.'"^' 

Verse  7.  Confounded  be  all  they  that  worship  carved  images^ 
a?id  that  delight  in  vain  gods. — It  grieved  Julian  to  see  the 
Christians  celebrate  their  funerals  so  openly  by  day,  and  with 
indications  of  joy  rather  than  grief,  especially  in  their  transla- 
tion of  martyrs,  which  was  of  the  same  nature  with  funerals, 
and  was  performed  with  great  magnificence  and  expressions  of 
joy,  with  psalmody  and  hymns  to  God,  in  a  general  assembly 
and  concourse  of  the  people.  But  it  was  particularly  in  the 
translation  of  Babylas  from  Daphne  to  Antioch,  which  hap- 
pened in  his  time,  and  was  one  of  the  great  grievances  of  his 
reign,  for  as  the  historians  (Socrates  and  others)  tell  us,  '  all 
the  Christians  of  Antioch,  men  and  women,  young  men  and 
virgins,  old  men  and  children,  accompanied  the  coffin  all  the 
way,  having  their  precentors  to  sing  Psalms,  at  the  end  of  every 
one  of  which  the  whole  multitude  joined,  by  way  of  antiphonal 
response,  with  this  versicle  :  '  Confounded  be  all  they  that 
worship  carved  images^  and  that  boast  themselves  in  idols  or  vai?i 
gods  P  This  they  did  for  the  space  of  6,000  paces,  or  forty  fur- 
longs, even  in  the  hearing  of  Julian  himself,  which  so  enraged 
him  that  the  next  day  he  put  many  of  them  into  prison,  and 
some  to  extreme  torture  and  death. f 

Verse  11.  Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous.-  -'^iilton  uses  the 
same  figure,  speaking  of  the  dew  at  dawn  : 

'  Now  jNIorn  her  rosy  steps  in  th'  Eastern  clime 
Advancing,  sowed  the  earth  with  Orient  pearl. 'J 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  154. 

t  Bingham,  Christian  Antiquities,  vol.  viii.,  p.  127. 

+   Paradise  Lost,  v.  3. 


PSALM  XCVIII.  399 

PSALM  XCVIII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Greeting  to  Him  who  is  become 
known  in  Righteousness  and  Salvation. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  present  Psahxi  is  a  kind  of  Coronation 
Hymn. 

Cofitents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David ;  concerning  the  de- 
liverance of  the  people  from  Egypt,  when  they  triumphed  and 
prevailed  ;  spiritually,  a  prophecy  concerning  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah  and  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles  to  the  Faith. 

In  Church. — Appointed  in  the  Latin  Use  for  the  Circumci- 
sion and  Trinity  Sunday ;  in  the  Sarum,  for  Christmas  Day  and 
the  Circumcision.* 

In  the  second  edition  of  the  Prayer-Book  this  Psalm  was 
inserted,  with  a  rubric,  authorizing  its  use  in  the  place  of  the 
Magnificat  on  any  evening  of  the  month  except  the  19th,  when 
it  was  read  in  the  ordinary  course  of  the  Psalms.  On  compar- 
ing it  with  the  Song  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  it  is  curious  to  trace 
the  resemblance  between  the  two,  as  though  the  latter  had  been 
founded  on  it.t 

This  Psalm  follows  the  reading  of  the  First  Lesson  in  the 
Evening  Service.  It  was  first  inserted  there  in  1552,  though 
it  had  not  been  sung  among  the  Psalms  of  Vespers  or 
Compline,  t 

The  Inscription  of  the  Psalm  in  the  Hebrew  is  only  the  single 
word  Mizmor,  'Psalm'  (whence  probably  the  title  'orphan 
Mizmor'  in  the  Talmudic  treatise  Avodah  Zard).% 

The  Whole  /'^^/w.— There  is  here  a  very  great  similarity 
between  this  Psalm  and  the  Song  or  Magnificat  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.     I  shall  note  some  of  the  parallels,  chiefly  from  Bishop 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  CofJimentary,  p.  155. 

t  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  217. 

X  The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  u.,  p.  203. 

§  Ibid. 


400  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Nicholson.  This  Psalm  is  an  evident  prophecy  of  Christ  to 
save  the  world ;  and  what  is  here  foretold  by  David  is  in  the 
Blessed  Virgin's  song  chanted  forth  as  being  accoviplished. 
David  is  the  Voice,  and  Mary  is  the  Echo. 

1.  David.   '  O  sing  unto  the  Lord  a  new  song.'     (The  Voice.) 

Alary.   '  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord.'     (The  EcJw.) 

2.  D.   '  He  hath  done  marvellous  things.'     (The  V.) 

M.   '  He  that  is  mighty  hath  done  great  things.'     (The  E.) 

3.  D.   '  With  His  own  right  hand  and  holy  arm  hath  He  gotten  Him- 
self the  victory.'     (The  K) 

M.  '  He  hath  showed  strength  with  His  arm,  and  scattered  the  proud 
in  the  imagination  of  their  hearts.'     (The  E.) 

4.  D.   '  The  Lord  hath  made  known  His  salvation  ;  His  righteousness 
hath  He  openly  showed,' etc.     (The  V.) 

M.   '  His  mercy  is  on  them  that  fear  Him  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion.'    (The^.) 

5.  D.  '  He  hath  remembered  His  mercy  and  His  truth  towards  the 
house  of  Israel.'     (The  V. ) 

M.   '  He   hath   holpen  His  servant  Israel   in    remembrance  of  His 
mercy.'     (The  E.) 

These  parallels  are  very  striking  ;  and  it  seems  as  if  the 
Blessed  Virgin  had  this  Psalm  in  her  mind  when  she  composed 
her  song  of  triumph."*^ 


Verses  6,  7,  8,  9; 


Ring  out,  with  horn  and  trumpet  ring, 
In  shouts  before  the  Lord  the  King  ; 
Let  ocean  with  His  fulness  swing 
In  restless  unison. 

'  Earth's  round,  and  all  the  dwellers  there, 
The  mighty  floods  the  but  then  bear, 
And  clap  the  hand  ;  in  choral  air 
Join  every  mountain  lone. 

'  Tell  out  before  the  Lord,  that  He 
Is  come,  the  Judge  of  earth  to  be. 
To  judge  the  world  in  equity. 

Do  right  to  realm  and  throne. 'f 


*  Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  Covimentary,  p.  2,248. 

t   The  Psalter  in  English  Verse,  by  John  Keble,  p.  192. 


PSALM  XCIX.  401 

PSALM  XCIX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Song  of  Praise  in  honour  of  the 
Thrice  Holy  One. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — This  may  be  called  The  Sanctus,  or  the 
Holy,  Holy,  Holy  Psalm,  for  the  word  '  holy  '  is  the  conclu- 
sion and  the  refrain  of  its  three  main  divisions. 

Contents  (Syriac). — K  Psalm  of  David,  concerning  the  de- 
struction of  the  Midianites  whom  Moses  and  the  people  of 
Israel  led  away  captive,  a  prophecy  also  of  the  glory  of  Christ's 
kingdom. 

The  Whole  Psalm, — This  Psalm  is  well  called,  by  Dr. 
Delitzsch,  '  An  earthly  echo  of  the  seraphic  Trisagion.' 

Verse  i.  He  sitteth  between  the  cheruhinis.  —  Hence  this 
Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Latin  Use  for  the  Festival  of  the 
Ascension.''' 

Verse  3.  They  shall  give  thanks  tmto  Thy  Name,  ivhich  is  great, 
wonderful,  and  holy. — St.  Bonaventura,  in  his  life  of  St.  Francis, 
tells  us  that  whenever  the  saint,  in  the  course  of  his  reading 
aloud,  had  to  pronounce  the  Name  of  Jesus,  he  lingered  on 
the  sound  with  a  gentle,  loving  emphasis,  and  with  a  musical 
ring  in  his  tones,  unheard  at  other  times ;  and  that  he  was 
scrupulous  to  let  no  fragment  of  writing,  which  had  those 
syllables  in  it,  lie  neglected  on  the  ground,  or  be  put  to  any 
servile  use.f 

PSALM  C. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Call  of  all  the  world  to  the  service  of 
the  True  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  Psalm  of  Praise,  or  rather  of  thanks- 
giving.    '  Let  us  sing  the  Old  Hundredth,'  is  one  of  the  every- 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary ^  p.  156. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  iii.,  p.  262. 

26 


402  PSALM-MOSAICS 

day  expressions  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  will  be  so  while 
men  exist  whose  hearts  are  loyal  to  the  Great  King. 

Co?itents  (Syriac). — Concerning  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun, 
when  he  brought  to  an  end  the  war  of  the  Ammonites,  and  in 
the  New  Testament,  concerning  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles 
to  the  Faith. 

In  Church. — Introduced  into  the  Prayer-Book  of  1552,  as  a 
substitute  for  the  Hymn  of  Zacharias  on  the  days  when  the 
latter  is  read  in  the  Lessons. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Luther  would  have  immortalized  his 
name  had  he  done  no  more  than  written  the  majestic  air  and 
harmony  to  which  we  are  accustomed  to  sing  this  Psalm."^ 

Dr.  Biniiie  calls  the  decade  of  Psalms  which  close  with  the 
1 00th,  The  Songs  of  the  jMilleiinmni. 

Dr.  Delitzsch  has,  with  much  felicity,  entitled  \\\q.xs\  Apocalyptic 
Psalms.  Dr.  Binnie  gives  them  his  name  because  '  They  are 
Messianic  in  the  sense  of  celebrating  the  Kingdom  of  Christ, 
although  not  Messianic  in  the  narrower  sense  of  celebrating 
His  Person.  They  soar  above  the  level  of  the  Old  Testament 
economy,  several  of  them  carrying  the  soul  forward  and  up- 
ward to  a  state  of  things  such  as  the  Apostolical  Church  itself 
never  saw.  .  .  .  The  hundredth  Psalm,  for  instance,  how 
grandly  does  it  anticipate  the  millennial  time,  and  summon  all 
the  nations  to  unite  in  the  high  praises  of  the  Lord  !'t 

The  Metrical  Version. 

'  All  people  that  on  earth  do  choell, 
Si7tg  to  the  Lo7'd  zuith  cheerful  voice. ' 

This  noble  version  of  the  Old  Hundredth  is,  I  believe,  the 
most  ancient  now  in  common  use  in  our  language,  as  it  is  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  very  best ;  faithful  to  the  original,  and  full  of 
grace  and  strength.  It  was  first  printed  in  the  Psalm  Book  pub- 
lished for  the  English  exiles  at  Geneva,  in  1561,  and  is  believed 

"  Ingram  Cobbin. 

t    7 he  Fsaltns :  their  History,  Teaching,  etc.,  by  Dr.  Binnie,  p.  97. 


PSALM  C.  403 

to  have  been  written  by  William  Kethe,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
who  joined  the  exiles  at  Geneva  in  1556.  From  an  allusion  in 
Shakespeare,  the  Psalm  in  this  version,  and  the  well-known 
melody  named  after  it,  would  appear  to  have  been  as  great 
favourites  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time  as  they  are  among 
ourselves.'"^ 

Dr.     Watts'    paraphrase    of    this    Psalm    begins:     'Before 
Jehovah's  awful  throne.' 

Verse  2.  Be  ye  sure  that  the  Lord  He  is  God ;  it  is  He  that 
hath  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves. — The  Emperor  Henry,  when 
out  hunting  on  the  Lord's  Day  called  Quinquagesima — his 
companions  being  scattered — came  unattended  to  the  entrance 
of  a  certain  wood,  and  seeing  a  church  hard  by,  he  made  for  it 
and,  feigning  himself  to  be  a  soldier,  simply  requested  a  Mass 
of  the  priest.  Now,  that  priest  was  a  man  of  notable  piety, 
but  so  deformed  in  person  that  he  seemed  a  monster  rather 
than  a  man.  When  he  had  attentively  considered  him,  the 
Emperor  began  to  wonder  exceedingly  why  God,  from  whom 
all  beauty  proceeds,  should  permit  so  deformed  a  man  to  ad- 
minister His  Sacraments.  But  presently  when  Mass  com- 
menced, and  they  came  to  that  passage,  '  Know  ye  that  the 
Lord  He  is  the  God,'  which  was  chanted  by  a  boy,  the  priest 
rebuked  the  boy  for  singing  negligently,  and  said  with  a  loud 
voice,  '  //  is  He  that  hath  made  us,  and  ?iot  we  ourselves.'' 
Struck  by  these  words,  and  believing  the  priest  to  be  a  prophet, 
the  Emperor  raised  him,  much  against  his  will,  to  the  Arch- 
bishopric of  Cologne,  which  see  he  adorned  by  his  devotion 
and  excellent  virtues.? 

The  Lord  He  is  God. 

'Jesus  is  God  I  the  glorious  bands 
Of  golden  Angels  sing 
Songs  of  adoring  praise  to  Him, 
Their  Maker  and  their  King. 

*   The  Psalms :  their  History,  etc. ,  by  Dr.  Binnie,  p.  97. 
t  Floxvers  of  History,  by  Roger  Wendover. 


404  PSALM-MOSAICS 

He  was  True  God  in  Bethlehem's  crib, 
On  Calvary's  Cross  True  God  ; 

He  Who  in  heaven  eternal  reigned, 
In  time  on  earth  abode. 

*  Jesus  is  God  !     If  on  the  earth 

This  blessed  faith  decays, 
More  tender  must  our  love  become, 

More  plentiful  our  praise. 
We  are  not  Angels,  but  we  may 

Down  in  earth's  corners  kneel, 
And  multiply  sweet  acts  of  love, 

And  murmur  what  we  feel.'* 


PSALM  CI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  Vows  of  a  King. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — If  we  call  this  The  Psalm  of  Pious 
Resolutions,  we  shall  perhaps  remember  it  all  the  more  readily. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Asaph — Kx\  exhortation  of 
David  with  reference  to  those  things  that  are  becoming  the 
ministry  of  the  Lord's  house  ;  and  a  prophecy  of  the  glory  of 
him  that  is  pure  and  perfect  in  God. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — -After  giving  a  little  analysis  of  the  Psalm, 
Bishop  Perowne  says  :  '  All  this  falls  in  admirably  with  the  early 
part  of  David's  reign,  and  the  words  are  just  what  we  might 
expect  from  one  who  came  to  the  throne  with  a  heart  so  true 
to  his  God.  If  the  words,  '  W^hen  wilt  Thou  come  unto  me  ?' 
may  be  taken  to  express,  as  seems  most  natural,  David's  desire 
to  see  the  Ark  at  length  fixed  in  the  Tabernacle  which  he  had 
prepared  for  it  in  Zion,  the  Psalm  must  have  been  written 
whilst  the  Ark  was  still  in  the  house  of  Obed-Edom  (2  Sam. 
vi.  10,  11). 

In  Cliurcli. — This  Psalm  is  used  in  the  Service  for  the 
Queen's  Accession.  To  kings,  and  all  who  wield  the  dele- 
gated power  of  God,  this  Psalm  must  ever  be  precious,  as  the 

*  Hymns,  by  F.  W.  Faber,  p.  33. 


PSALM  CI.  405 

true  standard  at  which  to  aim  ;  and  hence  no  more  suitable 
words  could  be  chosen  to  be  sung  at  a  royal  coronation,  and 
repeated  on  its  anniversaries."^ 

The  Whole  Psabn. — This  Psalm  has  been  styled  '  the  godly 
purposes  and  resolves  of  a  King.'  It  might  also  be  described 
as  '  Speculum  Regis ' — a  mirror  for  kings  and  all  that  are  in 
authority.! 

Ernest  the  Pious. — Eyding,  in  his  Life  of  Ernest  tlie  Pious, 
Duize  of  Saxe  Gotha,  related  that  he  sent  an  unfaithful  minister 
a  copy  of  the  loist  Psalm ;  and  that  it  became  a  proverb  in 
the  country^  when  an  official  had  done  anything  wrong,  '  He 
will  certainly  soon  receive  the  Prince's  Psalm  to  read.'; 

Prince  Vladimir  Mononiachor. — The  loist  Psalm  was  be- 
loved by  the  noblest  of  Russian  Princes,  Vladimir  Mono- 
machor  ;  and  by  the  gentlest  of  English  Reformers,  Nicholas 
Ridley.§ 

Vladimir's  date  may  be  fixed  in  our  minds  by  his  marriage 
with  Gytha,  daughter  of  our  own  Harold.  He  was  not  un- 
worthy of  the  model  of  a  just  and  religious  ruler,  in  the  loist 
Psalm,  which  was  sent  to  him  by  the  Russian  Primate,  with  an 
exhortation  to  learn  it  by  heart,  to  meditate  upon  it,  and  to 
fashion  his  government  accordingly. |i 

Nicholas  Ridley  (on  the  accession  of  Edward  VI.)  was  pro- 
moted to  be  Bishop  of  London  in  the  stead  of  Bonner. 

This  last  remained  a  prisoner,  but  his  old  mother  was  most 
tenderly  and  carefully  treated  by  his  successor.  Every  day 
did  Ridley  send  for  her  to  dine  with  him  at  his  Palace  at 
Fulham,  placing  her  beside  himself  in  an  easy-chair  at  the 
head  of  the  table.  If  anyone  of  rank  tried  to  take  his  seat 
there,  the  Bishop  would  say,   'By  your  lordship's  leave,  this 

-''  Housman,  p.  213. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms.,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  212. 

+  F.  Delitzsch,  p.  107. 

§  Lectures  on  the  fezvish  Chtirch,  by  Dean  Stanley,  vol.  ii.,  p.  74. 

|!  Lectures  on  the  Eastern  Church,  by  Dean  Stanley,  p.  312. 


4o6  PSA  L  M-MOSA ICS 

is  for  my  Mother  Bonner.'  His  household  was  on  the  model 
of  the  loist  Psalm,  which  he  used  frequently  to  read  to 
his  servants ;  and  he  would  give  them  rewards  for  learning 
passages  of  Scripture  by  heart,  especially  the  13th  chapter  of 
the  Acts.-^ 

A7ito7iio  Velasquez. — The  most  usual  treatment  of  it  (this 
Psalm)  is  as  a  discourse  on  the  qualities  and  duties  of  a  good 
king,  and  there  is  one  commentary  upon  it,  with  this  end,  from 
the  pen  of  one  Antonio  Velasquez,  a  Spanish  Jesuit,  constitut- 
ing a  folio  volume  of  between  400  and  500  pages,  published  at 
Antwerp  in  i64o.t 

The  Householder  s  Psalm. — This  Psalm  has  been  appro- 
priately called  '  The  Householder's  Psalm ' ;  and  assuredly  if 
every  master  of  a  family  would  regulate  his  household  by  these 
rules  of  the  conscientious  Psalmist,  there  would  be  a  far  greater 
amount,  not  merely  of  domestic  happiness  and  comfort,  but  of 
the  fulfilment  of  the  more  serious  and  responsible  duties  which 
devolve  on  the  respective  members  of  a  household.! 

Verse  i.  My  song  shall  be  of  mercy  and  judgment :  unto  Thee, 
O  Lord,  li'ill  I  sing. — In  the  month  of  August,  387,  St. 
Augustine  of  Hippo,  together  with  ]\Ionica,  his  mother ;  Adeo- 
datus,  his  son ;  Evodius  and  Alpius,  his  friends,  left  ]\Iilan, 
on  their  way  to  Africa.  They  had  reached  Ostia,  the  mouth 
of  the  Tiber,  from  which  they  intended  to  embark,  when 
Monica  was  stricken  down  by  fever.  It  was  a  time  which  was 
very  dear  to  St.  Augustine.  The  mother  and  son  used  to  sit 
together  talking  of  the  love  of  Jesus,  forgetting  those  things 
which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which 
are  before  (asking  between  themselves  of  what  nature  the 
eternal  life  of  the  saints  would  be).  The  mother's  hopes  and 
wishes  had  been  accomplished,  and  her  prayers  answered — her 
son  was  a  member  of  the  Church  she  loved,  and  she  was  con- 

*   Ca/ueos  /rom  English  History,  4th  Series,  p.  160. 
+  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  277. 
X   The  Treasury  of  the  Psalter^  vol.  iv.,  p.  408. 


PSALM  CI.  407 

tent  to  die  in  peace.     '  Lay  this  body  anywhere,  let  not  the 
care  for  it  trouble  you  at  all.     This  I  only  ask,  that  you  will 
remember  me  at  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  wherever  you  may  be.' 
'  On  the  ninth  day,  then,  of  her  sickness,'  says  St.  Augustine, 
'  the  fifty-sixth  year  of  her  age,  and  the  thirty-third  of  mine, 
was  that  religious  and  devout  soul  set  free  from  the  body.'    At 
the  time  of  her  death  Adeodatus  'burst  out  into  wailing,  but, 
being  checked  by  us  all,  he  became  quiet.  .  .  .  For  we  did  , 
not  consider  it  fitting  to   celebrate  that  funeral  with  tearful  ; 
plaints  and  groanings  ;  for  in  such  wise  are  they,  who  die  un- 
happy or  are  altogether  dead,  w^ont  to  be  mourned.     But  she 
neither  died  unhappy,  nor  did  she  altogether  die.'     The  boy,    \ 
then,  being  restrained  from  weeping,    Evodius  took    up    the 
Psalter,  and  began  to  sing — the  whole  house  responding — the 
Psalm,  ^  I  will  sing  of  mercy  and  judgment  u?ito  Thee,  O  Lord.'' 
A  glorious  instance  of  the  faith  of  those  who  remained  be- 
hind, and  a  triumph  song  of  praise  fitting  the  death  of  one 
who  had  experienced  the  value  of   the  Precious  Blood,   and 
who  now  rested  in  the  Paradise  of  God. 

Verse  10.  There  shall  no  deceitful  person  dwell  in  my  house. 
— When  Sir  George  Villiers  became  the  favourite  and  Prime 
Minister  of  King  James,  Lord  Bacon,  in  a  beautiful  letter  of 
advice,  counselled  him  to  take  this  Psalm  for  his  rule  in  the 
promotion  of  courtiers.  '  In  these  the  choice  had  need  be  of 
honest  and  faithful  servants,  as  w^ell  as  of  comely  outsides,  who 
can  bow^  the  knee  and  kiss  the  hand.'  King  David  (Psalm  ci. 
6,  7)  propounded  a  rule  to  himself  for  the  choice  of  his 
courtiers.  He  was  a  wise  and  a  good  King,  and  a  wise  and  a 
good  King  shall  do  well  to  follow  such  a  good  example  ;  and 
if  he  find  any  to  be  faulty,  which  perhaps  cannot  suddenly  be 
discovered,  let  him  take  on  him  this  resolution,  as  King  David 
did,  '  There  shall  no  deceitful  person  dwell  in  my  house.'  It 
would  have  been  well  both  for  the  Philosopher  and  the 
Favourite  if  they  had  been  careful  to  walk  by  this  rule.* 

*   The  Psalms:  their  Hislo7y,  Teaching,  etc.,  by  Dr.  Binnie,  p.  45. 


4o8  PSA  LM  MOSA ICS 


PSALM  CII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  of  a  patient  sufferer  for  him- 
self, and  for  Jerusalem  that  lies  in  ruins. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — To  help  the  memory,  we  will  call  this 
Psalm  '  The  Patriot's  Plaint.' 

Contents  (Syriac). — The  lamentation  of  the  Jews,  and  a  pro- 
phecy concerning  a  new  people,  even  the  Gentiles,  by  faith. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  niust  have  been  written  by 
one  of  the  exiles  in  Babylon,  probably  towards  the  close  of  the 
Captivity,  when  the  hope  of  a  return  seemed  no  longer 
doubtful. 

John  Keble  says  : 

'  This  is  the  mourner's  prayer  when  he  is  faint, 
And  to  th'  Eternal  Father  breathes  his  plaint.'* 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  used  in  the  Greek  Office  for  con- 
fessions of  Penitents,  and  in  that  for  the  dying,  likewise  in  the 
late  Evensong.! 

It  is  also  fitly  used  by  the  Church  of  England  on  Ash 
Wednesday,  as  a  penitential  expression  of  her  own  sorrow  for 
sin,  and  for  the  misery  consequent  upon  it.t 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  contemplation  of  Nature  in  the 
Psalms  is  distinguished  by  spiritual  transparency. 

The  natural  is  often  introduced  as  the  type  of  the  super- 
natural. 

The  102nd  Psalm  (composed  in  all  probability  by  Nehemiah) 
rises  from  the  ruins  of  the  city  to  the  ruin  of  the  Universe.  It 
is  on  the  same  line  of  thought  with  Shakespeare,  when  he 
passes  from  the  wreck  of  '  the  gorgeous  tow^ers  and  cloud-capp'd 
])alaces,'  to  that  of  the  'great  globe  itself,'  thus  (may  we  dare 

■^^    The  Psalter  in  English  Verse,  p.  196. 

■*"  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  289. 

X  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  158. 


PSALM  CI  I.  409 

to  say  it  without  irreverence  ?)  reminding  us  of  the  words  of 
Him  who  made  the  downfall  of  the  Temple  the  occasion  for  a 
transition  to  the  destruction  of  the  world  (St.  Luke  xxi.  5,  6, 

This  Psalm  is  the  keynote  to  Mrs.  Browning's  De  Profundis, 
written  in  the  anguish  of  bereavement,  and  drawing  hope  from 
the  thought  of  an  unchanging  God  : 

'  By  anguish  which  made  pale  the  sun, 
I  hear  him  charge  his  saints  that  none 
Among  the  creatures  anywhere 
Blaspheme  against  him  with  despair 
However  darlvly  days  go  on. 
And  having  in  thy  life-depth  thrown 
Being  and  suffering  (which  are  one) 
As  a  child  drops  some  pebble  small 
Down  some  deep  well,  and  hears  it  fall, 
Smiling  ...  So  I  !     THY  DAYS  GO  ON.'t 

The  fifth  of  the  Penitential  Psalms,  against  avarice,  was 
formerly  recited  daily  in  Lent  at  Nones  after  the  Miserere,  a 
custom  retained  in  the  last  Sarum  breviary,  but  now  disused 
in  the  Roman  Office. 

The  private  and  personal  character  of  the  Psalm  is  marked 
by  its  title,  which  stands  alone  among  the  inscriptions  of  the 
Psalter,  inasmuch  as  all  the  other  examples  are  either  musical 
or  historical.  1 

Verses  6  and  7.  I  a?Ji  become  like  a  pelican  in  the  wilderness  : 
and  like  an  owl  that  is  in  the  desert. 

I  have  watched,  and  am  even  as  it  were  a  sparrow  :  that  sit feth 
alone  upon  the  house-top. 

There  are  three  kinds  and  degrees  (said  Bellarmine)  of 
penitential  retirement  set  before  us  under  the  types  of  the  three 
birds  mentioned  here  :  the  pelican,  seeking  solitary  places, 
being  an  apt  emblem  of  the  hermits  of  the  Thebaid,  and  like 
other  solitaries  ;  the  owl,  dwelling  in  ruins  once  occupied  by 

*  The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  197. 
t   The  Psalms  in  History  and  Bio^^raphy,  p.  129. 
%  Dr.  Neale's  Commentaiy.  vol.  iii.,  p.  2S6. 


4IO  PSALAI-MOSAICS 

men,  denoting  the  common  life  in  the  cells  of  the  cloister, 
bare  of  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  secular  life ;  while  the 
sparrow  on  the  housetop  signifies  those  living  of  necessity  in 
the  world,  but  withdrawing  at  times  for  secret  prayer  and  con- 
templation, above  the  level  of  temporal  concerns,  watching 
anxiously  over  the  spiritual  interests  of  those  with  whom  they 
have  to  do. 

Amongst  the  strange  legends  once  current  of  the  pelican, 
there  are  two  which  stand  out  conspicuously  here  in  the  notes 
of  the  mediaeval  commentators.  One  is  that  familiar  idea  of 
the  'pelican  in  her  piety'  feeding  her  young  with  blood  from 
her  own  breast  (a  tale  due  to  the  bird's  red-tipped  beak,  and 
its  custom  of  pressing  this  beak  against  the  breast  in  order  to 
disgorge  the  fish  stowed  in  the  pouch  under  its  lower  man- 
dible !) ;  the  other,  yet  wilder,  declaring  that  the  mother-bird 
itself  kills  its  young  (or,  as  others  tell  us,  finds  them  killed  by 
serpents),  and  after  mourning  over  them  three  days,  sprinkles 
them  with  blood  from  a  wound  it  makes  in  its  own  side,  and 
brings  them  to  life  again.  These  two  stories  are  appHed  to 
Christ,  feeding  His  children  with  His  blood,  and  reviving  them, 
either  after  they  have  been  slain  by  the  old  serpent,  or  after 
He  has  Himself  killed  sin  in  them.'^ 

Verse  6.  A  pelican  .  .  .  a/i  oiul.  —  Both  are  mentioned 
Lev.  xi.  17,  18;  and  the  former  as  inhabiting  the  wilderness, 
Zeph.  ii.  14,  Isa.  xxxiv.  11. 

The  owl  is  called  in  Arabic  '  mother  of  the  ruins. 'f 

Like  an  owl  that  is  in  the  desert. — A  passage  in  Gray's  cele- 
brated elegy  may  illustrate  our  Psalmist  : 

*  Save  that  from  yonder  ivy-mantled  tower 
The  moping  owl  does  to  the  moon  complain,'  etc.j 

Verse  9.  For  I  have  eaten  ashes  as  it  were  bread. — A  Jewish 
expositor  (R.  Shelomo)  tells  us  that  the  Israelites,  in  the  Cap- 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  290. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  219. 

\  Mant  on  The  Psalms,  p.  2)37- 


PSALM  CI  I.  411 

tivity,  were  forced,  by  reason  of  their  poverty,  to  eat  bread 
roughly  baked  on  the  coals,  without  any  proper  oven,  and  that 
in  consequence  of  this  hasty  preparation  it  was  mixed  with 
cinders  and  pebbles.  Others,  looking  to  the  penitential 
custom  of  lying  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  assume  that  food  was 
taken  in  this  attitude,  so  that  it  became  sprinkled  with  the 
ashes  from  the  hands  and  face  of  the  penitent.  A  third  view 
treats  the  act  as  a  deliberate  act  of  mortification,  such  as  has 
been  recorded  of  more  than  one  Christian  saint,  as  St.  Godric  ot 
Finchale,  or  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  the  latter  of  whom  is  said  to 
have  sprinkled  ashes  on  any  dainty  food  served  him  at  great 
tables,  saying  with  a  smile,  '  Brother  Ash  is  pure.'* 

Verse  14.  Thy  servants  ihuik  upon  her  stones^  and  it  pitietJi 
them  to  see  her  in  the  ^z-^^/.— Jerusalem  itself  affords  at  this  day 
a  touching  illustration  of  this  passage.  There  is  reason  to 
believe  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  lower  part  of  the 
walls  which  enclose  the  present  Mosque  of  Omar,  which  occu- 
pies the  site  of  the  ancient  Jewish  temple,  is  the  same — or, 
at  least,  the  southern,  western,  and  eastern  sides  are  the  same, 
as  those  of  Solomon's  Temple.  At  one  part,  where  the  re- 
mains of  this  old  wall  are  the  most  considerable  and  of  the 
most  massive  character — where  two  courses  of  masonry,  com- 
posed of  massive  blocks  of  stone,  rise  to  the  height  of  thirty 
feet — is  what  is  called  the  Wailing  Place  of  the  Jews. 

'  Here,'  says  Dr.  Olin,  '  at  the  foot  of  the  wall,  is  an  open 
place  paved  with  flags,  where  the  Jews  assemble  every  Friday, 
and  in  small  numbers  on  other  days,  for  the  purpose  of  praying 
and  bewaiHng  the  desolation  of  their  holy  places.  Neither  the 
Jews  nor  Christians  are  allowed  to  enter  the  Haram,  which  is 
consecrated  to  Mohammedan  worship,  and  this  part  of  the 
wall  is  the  nearest  approach  they  can  make  to  what  they  regard 
as  the  precise  spot  within  the  forbidden  enclosure  upon  which 
the  ancient  temple  stood.  They  keep  the  pavement  swept 
with  great  care,  and  take  off  their  shoes  as   on   holy  ground. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  292. 


412  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Standing  or  kneeling  with  their  faces  towards  the  ancient  wall, 
they  gaze  in  silence  upon  its  venerable  stones,  or  pour  forth  their 
complaints  in  half-suppressed,  though  audible,  tones.  This,  to 
me,  was  always  a  most  affecting  sight,  and  I  repeated  my  visit 
to  this  interesting  spot  to  enjoy  and  sympathize  with  the 
melancholy  yet  pleasing  spectacle.  The  poor  people  some- 
times sobbed  aloud,  and  still  found  tears  to  pour  out  for  the 
desolations  of  their  beautiful  house.  "  If  I  forget  thee,  O 
Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning.  If  I  do  not 
remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  ; 
if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy.'"* 

Verse  i8.  This  shall  be  luritieji  for  those  that  come  after. — 
The  only  place  in  the  Psalms  where  the  memory  of  great 
events  is  said  to  be  preserved  in  writing  ;  elsewhere — as  inxxii. 
30  (31),  xliv.  I  (2),  Ixxviii.  2  (3) — it  is  left  to  oral  transmission.! 


PSALM  cm. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Hymn  in  honour  of  God  the  All- 
Compassionate  One. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Man's  reply  to  the  benedictions  of  his 
God,  his  Song  on  the  Mount,  answering  to  his  Redeemer's 
Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

Contejits  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David  ;  concerning  his  loss 
of  warmth  and  vitality  in  his  old  age  ;  and,  again,  instruction 
and  thanksgiving  for  the  men  of  God. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Nothing  certain  can  be  said  as  to  tl>e 
author  and  date  of  the  Psalm,  though  various  conjectures  have 
been  hazarded.  The  Hebrew  title  gives  it  to  David,  the 
Syriac  still  more  definitely  assigns  it  to  his  old  age. 

/;/  Church. — This   Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Latin  Use  for 

*  Kitto's  Pictorial  Bible. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  221. 


PSALM  cm.  413 

the    festival    of    Ascension.     It    was    also    appointed,    with 
Psalm  civ.,  to  be  said  on  the  Perambulation  of  Parishes.* 

T/ie  W/wle  Psalm. — A  favourite  I'salm  of  good  Bishop 
Mcllvaine's.  On  his  death-bed  he  begged  those  by  his  side  to 
look  out  '  some  tender  hymn  of  love  to  Jesus.'  Amongst 
others,  '  Abide  with  me  '  and  '  How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus 
sounds  !'  were  special  favourites,  as  also  these  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture :  Proverbs  xiv.,  Colossians  i,,  Revelation  vii.  9-17,  Romans 
viii.,  and  Psalm  ciii. 

In  England,  as  well  as  in  x\merica,  tears  fall  upon  his  bier,  and 
blessings  are  invoked  upon  his  memory.  The  mother  Church 
and  the  daughter  mourn  together.  Christians  of  various  names 
and  opinions  join  in  expressions  of  affectionate  veneration  for 
him  who  was  an  ornament  and  bulwark  of  their  common  faith 
— and  the  nation  feels  that  she  has  lost  one  of  her  noblest 
sons.f 

How  often  have  saints  in  Scotland  sung  this  Psalm  in  days 
when  they  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper  !  It  is  thereby  specially 
known  in  our  land.  It  is  connected,  also,  with  a  remarkable 
case  in  the  days  of  John  Knox.  Elizabeth  Adamson,  a  woman 
who  attended  on  his  preaching  '  because  he  more  fully  opened 
the  fountain  of  God's  mercies  than  others  did,'  was  led  to 
Christ  and  to  rest  by  hearing  this  Psalm,  after  enduring  such 
agony  of  soul  that  she  said,  concerning  racking  pain  of  body, 
'  A  thousand  years  of  this  torment,  and  ten  times  more  joined, 
are  not  to  be  compared  to  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  my  soul's 
trouble.'  She  asked  for  this  Psalm  again  before  departing. 
'It  was  in  receiving  it  that  my  soul  first  tasted  God's  mercy, 
which  is  now  sweeter  to  me  than  if  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth  were  given  me  to  possess.'! 

It  was  Dr.  Sanderson's  constant  practice  every  morning  to 
entertain  his  first  waking  thoughts  with  a  repetition  of  those 

*  Interleaved  .Prayer- Book ^  p.  289. 

t  Memorials  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  p.  363. 

X  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 


414  PSALM-MOSAICS 

very  Psalms  that  the  Church  had  appointed  to  be  constantly 
read  in  the  daily  Morning  Service,  and  having  at  night  laid 
him  in  his  bed,  he  as  constantly  closed  his  eyes  with  a  repeti- 
tion of  those  appointed  for  the  service  of  the  evening,  remem- 
bering and  repeating  the  very  Psalm  appointed  for  every  day  ; 
and  as  the  month  had  formerly  ended  and  began  again,  so  did 
this  exercise  of  his  devotion.  And  if  the  firstfruits  of  his 
waking  thoughts  were  of  the  world,  he  would  arraign  himself 
for  it.  Thus  he  began  that  work  on  earth  which  is  now  the 
employment  of  Mr.  Hammond  and  him  in  heaven.  After  his 
taking  his  bed,  about  a  day  before  his  death,  he  desired  his. 
chaplain  to  give  him  absolution,  and  at  his  performing  that 
office  he  pulled  off  his  cap  that  Mr.  Pullin  might  lay  his  hand 
upon  his  head.  After  this  desire  of  his  was  satisfied,  his  body 
seemed  to  be  at  more  ease,  and  his  mind  more  cheerful ;  he 
said  often,  '  Lord,  forsake  me  not  now  my  strength  faileth  me, 
but  continue  Thy  mercy,  and  let  my  mouth  be  ever  filled  with 
Thy  praise.' 

He  continued  the  remaining  night  and  day  very  patient,  and 
during  that  time  did  often  say  to  himself  the  \oyd  Psalm^  as 
that  is  composed  of  praise  and  consolations  fitted  for  a  dying 
soul,  and  say  also  to  himself  very  often  these  words  :  '  My  heart 
is  fixed,  O  God,  my  heart  is  fixed,  where  true  joy  is  to  be 
found.'* 

The  majestic  hymn  hy  Jo /m  Gi'aumafin^ 

'  Now  praise  the  Lord  my  soul ' 
('  Num  lob  meine  Seele  den  Herru '), 

is  after  this  Psalm. t 

Verse  i.  Praise  the  Lo?'d,  O  my  soul,  a7id  all  that  is  unthi?t 
Die,  praise  His  holy  Name. — These  words  are  used  now  and 
again  by  Bishop  Wilberforce,  in  his  Diary,  when  thankful,  as 
the  Miserere  is  used  when  low  and  depressed.  Here  is  an 
entry  : 

*  Life  of  Bishop  Sanderson,  by  Izaak  Walton,  pp.  48,  49. 
t  Tholuck  on  The  Psalms,  p.  4. 


PSALM  cm.  415 

'Dec.  315/,  1871. — My  cold  so  threatening  that  I  lay  in  bed 
till  near  twelve.  Better  then.  Read  the  service,  as  they  were 
saying  it  in  Church  close  by.  And  so  the  year  runs  out  again. 
How  many  its  mercies — in  some  respects  signal  !  My  Reg 
flourishing  ;  his  dear  wife  and  three  children.  My  beloved 
Ernest  given  me  back  again  from  America,  certainly  in  better 
health,  though  still  pale,  worn,  and  heart-broken.  God  bless 
him.  My  own  Basil  well  placed  at  Southampton,  and  doing,  I 
trust,   a  real  work  for  God  there,  his  wife  helping  him ;  his 

child  stronger.     B/ess  the  Lord^  O  Jny  soul.     My  dear  E ' 

(his  daughter,  who  became  a  Roman  Catholic  in  1868), '  though, 
alas  !  so  parted  from  us,  affectionate.  My  work  something  in 
my  Diocese,  and  though  my  end  seems  often  very  near,  yet  my 
strength  greatly  held  up  for  work.  Oh  that  my  last  days  may 
be  my  best  days  !' 

Cowper  says  : 

'  A  soul  redeemed  demands  a  life  of  praise.' 

Verse  2.  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  His 
benefits. — A  cross,  erected  by  the  members  of  Bishop  Words- 
worth's family,  has  been  placed  over  his  grave  and  that  of  his 
wife.  It  is  of  gray  Irish  limestone,  and  represents  in  medallions 
some  of  the  more  important  types  and  antitypes  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament.  Engraved  on  the  steps  of  the  cross,  which 
is  Runic  in  character,  are  the  following  inscriptions  :  (East) 
'  To  the  glory  of  God,  and  in  loving  memory  of  Christopher 
Wordsworth  and  Susanna  Hatley,  his  wife.'  (West)  '  I  look 
for  the  Resurrection  of  the  dead  and  the  Life  of  the  world  to 
come.'  (North)  '  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  alway.  and  again  I  say 
rejoice.'  (South)  'Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not 
all  LLis  benefits.'"^ 

Verse  5  (E.V.).    Who  satisfieth  thy  mouth  ivith  good  things,  so 
that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eaglets. — The  rendering  of  the 
English  version,  'so  that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagle's,' 
*  Bishop  Wordsworth^ s  Life,  p.  487. 


^i6  PSALM-MOSAICS 

is  grammatically  justifiable,  but  very  unnecessarily  makes  the 
Psalmist  responsible  for  the  fable  of  the  eagle's  renewing  its 
youth.  Neither  this  passage  nor  Isaiah  xl.  31  countenances 
any  such  fable.  There  is  an  allusion,  no  doubt,  to  the  yearly 
moulting  of  the  feathers  of  the  eagle  and  other  birds,  the  eagle 
being  selected  as  the  liveHest  image  of  strength  and  vigour. 
The  Prayer-Book  Version  gives  the  sense  rightly  '  making  thee 
young  and  lusty  as  an  eagle.' 

The  fable  of  the  eagle's  renewing  its  youth  has  received 
different  embellishments.  The  version  of  Saadia,  given  by 
Kimchi,  is  as  follows  :  The  eagle  mounts  aloft  into  heaven  till 
he  comes  near  to  the  seat  of  central  fire  in  the  sun,  when, 
scorched  by  the  heat,  he  casts  himself  down  into  the  sea. 
Thence  he  emerges  again  with  new  vigour  and  fresh  plumage, 
till  at  last,  in  his  hundredth  year,  he  perishes  in  the  waves. 
Augustine's  story  is  more  elaborate  and  far  less  poetical. 
According  to  him,  when  the  eagle  grows  old,  the  upper  curved 
portion  of  the  beak  becomes  so  enlarged  that  the  bird  is 
unable  to  open  its  mouth  to  seize  its  prey.  It  would  die  of 
hunger,  therefore,  did  it  not  dash  this  part  of  its  beak  against 
a  rock,  till  the  troublesome  excrescence  is  got  rid  of.  Then  it 
can  devour  its  food  as  before,  vigour  is  restored  to  its  body, 
splendour  to  its  plumage,  it  can  soar  aloft — a  kind  of  resurrec- 
tion has  taken  place.  Thus  it  renews  its  youth.  And  then, 
wonderful  to  say,  having  told  this  story  gravely,  he  makes 
Christ  the  rock,  adding,  '  In  Christ  thy  youth  shall  be 
renewed  as  the  eagle's.'"^ 


PSALM  CIV. 

Headi?ig  {I)q\\\.z?>c\\). — Hymn  in  honour  of  the  God  of  seven 
days. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  poet's  version  of  Genesis. 
Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  went  with 
*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Peiowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  231  (note). 


PSALM  CIV.  417 

the  priests  to  worship  before  the  ark  of  the  Lord,  and  in  which 
it  teacheth  us  Confession  and  Prayer,  and  alludeth  to  the  first 
constitution  of  created  things,  and  unfoldeth  truth  concerning 
the  angels. 

In  Church. — Appointed  by  the  Church,  Latin  and  Sarum 
Use,  for  Whitsun-Day,  and  by  this  appointment  she  reminds 
her  people  that  the  lights  of  Creation,  Redemption,  and  Sanc- 
tification  are  all  from  one  and  the  same  source  ;  and  that  the 
whole  world  is  to  be  consecrated  by  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  into  a  holy  sanctuary  of  God,  in  which  all  nations  are  to 
worship  Him  as  their  Creator,  Redeemer,  and  Sanctifier.* 

In  the  Orthodox  Church  of  the  East  appointed  at  Holy 
Baptism  and  Confirmation.  After  the  trine  immersion  and 
the  singing  of  Psalm  xxxii.,  thence  follows  the  Troparion, 
'  Grant  me  the  garment  of  light,  Thou  Who  art  clothed  with 
light  as  with  a  garment  (Psalm  civ.  2),  O  most  merciful  Christ 
our  GoD.'t 

This  Psalm  was  called  by  the  Greeks  the  Prefatory  Psalm, 
•Ti(>Moi[j.ax6g  -vl/aX/xo?,  and  was  used  at  the  commencement  of 
the  Evening  Office. i 

The  Whole  Psabn. — This  Psalm  is  an  inspired  '  Oratorio  of 
Creation. '§ 

The  great  Alexander  von  Humboldt  expresses  his  admiration 
of  this  Psalm  thus  :  '  It  might  almost  be  said  that  one  single 
Psalm  represents  the  image  of  the  whole  Cosmos.  .  .  .  We 
are  astonished  to  find  in  a  lyrical  poem  of  such  limited  com- 
pass the  whole  universe — the  heavens  and  the  earth — sketched 
with  a  few  bold  touches.  The  contrast  of  the  labour  of  man 
with  the  animal  life  of  Nature,  and  the  image  of  omnipresent 
invisible  Power,  renewing  the  earth  at  will,  or  sweeping  it  of 
inhabitants,  is  a  grand  and  solemn  creation.'!! 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  161. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Comynentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  267. 

X  Interleaved  Prayer -Book,  p.  29 1 . 

§  Bishop  Wordsworth. 

II   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  234. 

27 


41 8  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Ferse  4.  Ne  maketJi  His  angels  spirits,  a7id  His  mijiistei's  a 

flaming  fire. 

'  And  is  there  care  in  heaven  ?     And  is  there  love 
In  heavenly  spirits  to  these  creatures  base, 
That  may  compassion  of  their  evils  move  ? 
There  is  : — else  much  more  wretched  were  the  case 
Of  men  than  beasts.     But,  O  !  th'  exceeding  grace 
Of  Highest  God  that  loves  His  creatures  so, 
And  all  His  workes  with  mercy  doth  embrace, 
That  blessed  Angels  He  sends  to  and  fro, 
To  serve  to  wicked  man,  to  serve  His  wicked  foe  ! 

'  How  oft  do  they  their  silver  bowers  leave, 
To  come  to  succour  us  that  succour  want  I 
How  oft  do  they  with  golden  pinions  cleave 
The  flitting  skyes,  like  flying  pursuivant, 
Against  fowle  feendes  to  ayd  us  militant  I 
They  for  us  fight,  they  watch  and  dewly  ward. 
And  their  bright  squadrons  round  about  us  plant ; 
And  all  for  love,  and  nothing  for  reward  : 
O  why  should  heavenly  God  to  men  have  such  regard  ?'* 

Verse  5.  He  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earthy  that  it  never 
should  move  at  any  time. — This  was  one  of  the  passages  which, 
according  to  Father  Sanchez,  was  most  strongly  relied  upon  in 
the  controversy  with  Galileo,  f 

Verse  8.  They  go  up  as  high  as  the  hills,  a?id  dow?i  to  the 
valleys  beneath. 

Milton  : 

'  Immediately  the  mountains  huge  appear 
P^mergent,  and  their  broad  bare  backs  upheave 
Into  the  clouds,  their  tops  ascend  the  sky  ; 
So  high  as  heaved  the  timid  hills,  so  low 
Down  sunk  a  hollow  bottom,  broad  and  deep, 
Capacious  bed  of  waters. 'i 

Verse  26.  There  go  the  ships. — Professor  Edward  Park  tells 
a  story,  new  to  us,  how  on  a  Sunday  morning,  during  the  last 
American  war  with  Great  Britain,  a  minister  eminent  for  his 
genius  and  learning  was  just  getting  ready  for  his  pulpit 
service,  when  he  was  informed  that  three  ships  of  the  British 
navy  were  drawing  nigh  the  port  where  he  resided,  imperilling 

*  Spenser's  Faety  Qiieene,  II.,  viii.  i,  2. 

t   The  Book  of  Psnlms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  237. 

X  Paradise  Lost,  book  vii. 


PSALM  CV.  419. 

one  of  the  American  men-of-war  ;  he  instantly  suspended  the 
morning  service,  hastened  to  the  nearest  fortification,  and 
offered  his  services  to  the  commander.  He  was  ordered  to 
stand  by  one  of  the  guns.  He  remained  at  his  post  until  the 
three  ships  of  the  British  line  sailed  away,  and  then  he  returned 
to  his  Church  in  time  for  the  evening  service,  and  took  his  text 
from  Psalm  civ.  26,  '  There  go  the  ships.^  It  was  a  pardonable 
kind  of  triumph,  and  no  doubt  an  American  brother  may  feel 
pleasure  in  reciting  it,  though  it  turned  a  lofty  stanza  of  poetry 
into  a  ludicrous  sentence.* 

The7'e  is  that  Leviathan. — Milton  has  used  it  for  the 
whale  : 

'  There  leviathian, 
Hugest  of  living  creatures,  on  the  deep 
Stretched  like  a  promontory  sleeps  or  swims, 
And  seems  a  moving  land  ;  and  at  his  gills 
Draws  in,  and  at  his  trunk  spouts  out,  a  sea.'i 

Verse  34  (Bible  Version).  My  meditation  of  Him  shall  be 
sweet. — The  last  words  ever  written  by  Henry  Martyn,  dying 
among  Mohammedans  in  Persia,  were  :  '  I  sat  in  the  orchard 
and  thought  with  sweet  comfort  and  peace  of  my  God,  in  soli- 
tude my  company,  my  Friend  and  Comforter.'! 


PSALM  CV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).  —  Thanksgiving  hymn  in  honour  of 
God,  who  is  attested  in  the  earliest  history  of  Israel. 

Contents  {%^^i\2iQ). — Anonymous;  in  which  allusion  is  made 
to  the  narrative,  Fear  not,  Jacob,  to  go  down  into  Egypt ;  and 
spiritually  teaching  us  that  we  should  not  fear  when  anyone 
of  us  goeth  forth  to  contend  with  evil  spirits ;  for  God  is  our 
helper,  and  fighteth  for  us. 

*   Tiie  Pulpit,  Ancient  and  Modern,  by  Rev.  E.  Paxton  Hood,  chap,  vii  . 

t    Mant  on  The  Psalms,  p.  351. 

:;:   The  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  v.,  p.  35. 


420  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  is  evidently  one  of  the  later 
Psalms,  and,  like  the  two  which  follow  (both  of  which  contain 
allusions  to  the  exile),  may  have  been  written  after  the  Return 
from  the  Captivity. 

Li  Church. — This  Psalm  was  appointed  in  the  Jewish  Ritual 
for  use  on  the  first  day  of  the  great  Festival  of  Tabernacles.* 

This  Psalm  is  counted  by  the  LXX.  and  Vulgate  (which 
transfer  the  closing  Alleluia  of  the  previous  one  to  the  title  of 
this)  as  the  first  of  the  Alleluiatic  Psalms.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion, preserved  by  the  Pseudo-Epiphanius,  that  the  custom  of 
chanting  the  Alleluia  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  the  Psalm 
was  introduced  into  the  ritual  of  the  Second  Temple  by  the 
Prophet  Haggai ;  and  its  adoption  into  the  services  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  its  untranslated  form  is  due  to  the  Heb- 
raistic tone  of  the  Apocalypse. t 

The  Whole  Psalm. — These  Psalms  (cv.,  cvi.,  cvii.,  cxviii., 
cxxxvi.),  beginning  with  the  Hebrew  word  Hodii  =^  ^  giving 
thanks,'  have  been  styled  Hodu,  or  Confitemini,  Psalms. :j: 

Vei'se  14.  He  suffered  no  man  to  do  thetn  wrongs  but  reproved 
even  kings  for  their  sakes — as  when  He  smote  Herod  with 
worms ;  when,  as  Lactantius  tells  us,  Nero  was  slain  and  left 
unburied ;  Decius  defeated  and  killed  in  battle ;  Valerian  made 
captive,  mocked,  and  flayed  alive  ;  Aurelian  murdered  by  his 
own  domestics ;  Diocletian  mad  ;  Maximian  strangled  ;  Maxi- 
min  Uaia  poisoned ;  Maxentius  drowned  in  flying  from  the 
rout  of  his  army  ;  Licinius  stripped  of  the  purple  by  Con- 
stantine  and  put  to  death  ;  without  counting  up  the  similar 
histories  of  succeeding  ages.§ 

Verse  15.  Touch  not  mine  Anoi?ited. — These  words  are  painted 
on  one  of  the  walls  of  the  Memorial  Chapel  at  St.  Petersburg, 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary^  p.  164. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Com^nentary^  vol.  iii.,  p.  343. 

+  Companion  to  the  Psalter^  by  Rev.  J.  Gurnhill,  p.  257. 

§  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  350. 


PSALM  CVI.  421 

erected    to   commemorate  the  escape  of  Alexander    II.   from 
assassination  (see  on  Psalm  xiii.  5). 

ll'rse  SS'  ^^  smote  all  the  fir  si-born  in  Egypt,  even  the  chief 
of  all  their  strength. — There  is  a  Hebrew  tradition  that  at  the 
time  of  the  slaughter  of  the  first-born,  judgment  went  forth 
also  against  the  idols  of  Egypt,  that  the  stone  images  fell  into 
powder,  the  wooden  ones  rotted,  the  metal  melted  away,  and 
the  bull  Apis  died  in  his  temple ;  and  that  this  is  one  sense, 
at  least,  of  the  phrase,  the  chief  of  all  their  strength.* 


PSALM  CVI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Israel's  unfaithfulness  from  Egypt 
onwards,  and  God's  faithfulness  down  to  the  present  time. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  National  Confession. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Anonymous.  The  Psalmist  admonishes 
them  concerning  the  Commandments  of  the  Lord,  and  teaches 
us  as  the  Jews  sinned,  so  we  should  be  greatly  afraid  that  we 
should  not  speak  in  Church,  nor  contend  with  our  brethren  for 
any  cause  whatever,  and  especially  when  we  stand  in  the  time 
of  the  Mysteries  and  of  prayer  ;  and  that  when  we  sin,  we 
should  repent. 

Origin  (Perowne). — From  verse  47  it  may  fairly  be  inferred 
that  the  Psalm  is  of  the  date  of  the  Exile,  or  was  written 
shortly  after  the  return  of  the  first  company  of  exiles. 

Verse  i.  O  give  thanks  tin  to  the  Lord.,  for  He  is  gracious.,  and 
His  mercy  endureth  for  ever. — When  St.  Athanasius,  seated  on 
his  throne  at  Vespers,  in  the  Church  of  St.  Theonas,  Alex- 
andria, beheld  Syrianus  and  his  soldiers  sent  to  take  him, 
he  quietly  bade  his  deacon  give  out  the  chant,  '  O  give  thanks 
unto  the  Lord,  for  lie  is  gracious,  because  His  mercy  endureth 

"'  Dr.  Neale's  ComtnejUary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  360. 


422  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Jor  ever^ ;  and  soon  after,  borne  out  by  his  monks  in  the  midst 
of  the  tumult  which  ensued,  escaped  the  hands  of  his 
enemies."^ 

Verse  3.  Blessed  are  they  that  alway  keep  judgment,  and  do 
righteousness. — '  I  have  read  of  Louis,  King  of  France,  that 
when  he  had,  through  inadvertency,  granted  an  unjust  suit,  as 
soon  as  ever  he  had  read  these  words  of  the  Psahnist,  "  Blessed 
is  he  that  dotth  righteousjiess  at  all  times,'"  he  presently  recol- 
lected himself,  and,  upon  better  thoughts,  gave  his  judgment 
quite  contrary.'! 

Verse  2^.  But  murmured  in  their  tents.— ^t.  Benedict  laid 
down  as  one  of  the  chief  precepts  of  his  Rule,  'Above  all, 
that  there  be  no  murmurings.'  An  elder  master  of  the  Reli- 
gious Life  than  he,  St.  Pachomius,  was  wont  to  relegate  to  the 
infirmary  any  monk  guilty  of  murmuring,  as  suffering  from 
disease,  and  needing  especial  tendance  and  regimen,  under 
which  he  was  kept  until  he  gave  proof  of  amendment.  And 
that  because,  as  St.  Augustine  observes,  when  himself  preach- 
ing to  Religious,  murmuring  is  as  contagious  and  fatal  as 
leprosy,  and  affects,  not  only  the  speaker,  but  all  the  hearers.;*: 

Verse  29.  The  plague  was  great  among  them. — There  is  a 
Hebrew  tradition  that  the  chief  weight  of  the  blow  (i.e.,  the 
plague)  fell  upon  the  tribe  of  Simeon,  whose  prince  Zimri  was 
slain  by  Phinehas — a  notion  which  is  supported  by  the  two- 
fold census  of  that  tribe  before  and  after  the  sin  in  Shittim. 
At  first  the  Simeonites  numbered  59,300  warriors  (Numb. 
i.  23),  but  afterwards  only  22,200   are   reckoned   (Numb.  xxvi. 


I4).§ 


*  Dr.  Neale's  Comuientary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  367. 
t  Thomas  Brooks  (1608- 1680). 
X  Dr.  Neale's  Commetitary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  378. 
§  Ibid.,  p.  380. 


BOOK  V. 

PSALMS   CVII.— CL. 

'The  Holy  Ghost  begins  the  Fifth  Book  of  the  Psalter  with  praise,  and 
ends  it  with  praise,  because  they  who  spiritually  observe  the  Pentateuch  of 
the  Law  shall,  with  the  Angels,  praise  God  for  evermore.' — I/oiwnus. 


PSALM  CVII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — An  admonition  to  fellow-countrymen 
to  render  thanks  on  account  of  having  got  the  better  of  cala- 
mities. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Thanksgiving  and  the  motives  for  it. 

Contents  (Syriac).— Anonymous.  Written  concerning  Joel 
and  Abiah,  the  sons  of  Samuel,  who  corrupted  the  Command- 
ments of  the  Lord.  Intimating,  also,  that  as  God  gathered 
the  Jews  from  the  Captivity  and  brought  them  up  from  Babylon, 
so  God,  the  only  Begotten  Son,  Jesus  the  Messiah,  gathered 
the  Gentiles  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth  by  preaching 
unto  Baptism. 

Origin  (Perowne).  —  It  is  obvious  that  this  Psalm  is  not 
historical.  It  describes  various  incidents  of  human  life,  it 
tells  of  the  perils  which  befall  men,  and  the  goodness  of  God 
in  delivering  them,  and  calls  upon  all  who  have  experienced 
His  care  and  protection  gratefully  to  acknowledge  them ;  and 
it  is  perfectly  general  in  its  character. 

The  Whole  Psalm.— Dr.  Duff,  on  his  first  voyage  to  India, 
in  1830,  was  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  South  Africa.  They  all 
reached  the  shore  in  safety.  Soon  after  their  escape  '  a  sailor, 
walking  along  the  beach,  noticed  an  object  cast  ashore.  Going 
up  to  it,  he  found  it  was  a  quarto  copy  of  Bagster's  Bible 
and  a  Scotch  Psalm-book,  somewhat  shattered,  but  with  Mr. 
Duff's  name  written  distinctly  on  both.     The  precious  volumes 


426  PSALM -MOSAICS 

had  not  been  used  on  the  voyage  out.  Wrapped  in  chamois 
leather,  they  had  been  put  with  other  books  in  a  box,  which 
must  have  been  broken  to  pieces.  The  sailor  who  found  the 
volumes  high  and  dry  on  the  beach  had  been  the  most  atten- 
tive at  the  service  which  the  missionary  had  held  with  the  crew 
every  Sabbath.  Taking  Bible  and  Psalter  to  the  hovel  where 
the  passengers  sought  shelter,  with  a  glowing  face  he  presented 
them  to  their  owner.  All  were  deeply  affected  by  what  they 
regarded  as  a  message  from  God.  Led  by  Mr.  Duff,  they 
kneeled  down,  and  there  he  spread  out  the  precious  books  on 
the  white  bleached  sand.  What  a  meaning  to  each  had  the 
travellers'  Psalm,  t/ie  loyZ/z,  which  he  read,  as  to  all  exiles, 
captives,  and  storm-tossed  wanderers  since  the  days  when  its 
first  singers  were  gathered  from  all  lands  to  rebuild  Jerusalem  ! 
What  fervent  prayer  and  thanksgiving  followed  its  words,  as 
the  band  of  shipwrecked,  but  delivered,  men  and  women  lifted 
their  wearied  faces  to  the  heavens  : 

'  Whoso  is  wise,  and  will  observe  these  things, 
Even  they  shall  understand  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord.'* 

Dr.  Loivth  remarks  of  this  Psalm  :  '  No  doubt  the  composi- 
tion of  this  Psalm  is  admirable  throughout  ;  and  the  descrip- 
tive part  of  it  adds  at  least  its  share  of  beauty  to  the  whole  ; 
but  w^hat  is  most  to  be  admired  is  its  conciseness^  and  withal  the 
expressiveness  of  the  diction,  w^hich  strikes  the  imagination 
with  inimitable  elegance.  I'he  weary  atid  bewildered  traveller, 
the  miserable  captive  in  the  hideous  dungeon,  the  sick  and 
dying  man,  the  seaman  foundering  in  a  storm,  are  described  in 
so  affecting  a  manner  that  they  far  exceed  anything  of  the 
kind,  though  never  so  much  laboured.'  Adam  Clarke  then 
says  :  '  I  may  add,  that  had  such  an  Idyll  appeared  in  Theo- 
critus or  Virgil,  or  had  it  been  found  as  a  scene  in  any  of 
the  Greek  tragedians,  even  in  ^schylus  himself,  it  would  pro- 
bably have  been  produced  as  their  master-piece.' 

Thanksgiving  after  a  storm,  one  writer  on  the  Psalms  calls 

*  Life  of  Dr.  Ditff,  by  George  Smith,  LL.D.,  vol.  i,,  p.  'jd. 


PSALM  CVII.  427 

this  Psalm ;  and  from  Dr.  Kay  he  quotes,  in   illustration,  the 
Basque  proverb,   '  Let  him  who  knows    not  how  to  pray  go 


to  sea. 


'# 


Verse  14.  For  He  brought  them  out  of  darkness^  and  out  of 
the  shadoiv  of  death. 

'"A  little  while  !" 

And  earth  shall  pass 
Like  a  faint  vision  from  our  weary  gaze, 
And  we  shall  stand  upon  the  "  sea  of  glass" 
For  evermore  ! 

'  "  A  little  while  !" 

And  death  shall  lie 
With  Satan  vanquished  at  Jehovah's  feet, 
And  we  shall  see  our  Saviour,  eye  to  eye, 
For  evermore  ! 

*"  Alittle  while  !" 

And  every  grief 
Shall  be  remembered,  but  with  tears  of  joy  : 
On  Jesus'  bosom  we  shall  find  relief 
For  evermore  ! 

'  "A  little  while  !" 

And  faded  flowers 
Shall  bloom  again  for  us  in  yon  dear  land. 
And  we  shall  wander  amid  sweetest  bowers 
For  evermore  ! 

'  "A  little  while  !" 

And  parted  hands 
Shall  clasp  again  upon  the  heavenly  shore. 
Where  she — "Jerusalem  the  Golden" — stands 
For  evermore  ! 

"•  A  little  while  !" 
And  every  star 
Shall  pale  and  fade  before  His  matchless  light. 
Whose  unveiled  glory  fills  that  city  fair 
For  evermore  ! 

'"A  little  while  !" 

And  heaven's  gate 
Shall  open  wide  to  let  the  wanderer  in, 
Where  Jesus  sits  upon  His  "throne  of  light  " 
For  evermore  ! 


'"^  Housman  on  I'he  Psab)is. 


428  PSALM -MOSAICS 

'"A  little  while!" 

Ah,  yes  ! — uoi  long! 
Till  we  shall  rest  on  Jordan's  "sunny  side," 
And  find  earth's  bitter  cross  a  golden  crown 
For  evermore  ! 

•  "  A  little  while  !" 

And  then  ! — the  dawn  ! 
The  fair  sweet  breaking  of  that  blissful  day 
When  He  shall  come  and  dwell  with  us  again 
For  evermore  ! 

•"A  little  while!" 

And  then  ! — the  song 
Of  "  Hallelujah  !"  to  our  Saviour  King  ! 
The  glad  hosannas  of  heaven's  ransomed  throng 
For  evermore  I'* 

Verses  14-21.  For  He  brought  them  out  of  darkness,  mid  out 
of  the  shadow  of  death.  .  .  .  Oh  that  men  would  therefore  praise 
the  Lord  for  His  goodness,  and  declare  the  wonders  that  He  doeth 
for  the  children  of  men. — How  deeply  the  Jew  still  feels  the 
necessity  of  substituting  in  the  shape  of  a  vicarious  sacrifice 
may  be  seen  by  a  peculiar  ceremony  which  is  observed  in  the 
ninth  of  Tishri,  the  eve  of  the  Day  of  Atonement,  and  which 
is  the  mere  invention  of  the  Rabbis. 

The  follow^ing  laws  are  laid  down  in  the  Jewish  Prayer-Book 
with  regard  to  this  ceremony  : 

'  On  the  eve  of  the  Day  of  the  Atonement,  the  custom  is  to 
make  atonement ;  a  cock  is  taken  for  a  man,  and  a  hen  for  a 
woman.  .  .  .  The  father  of  the  family  first  makes  the  atone- 
ment for  himself,  then  for  his  family,  and  afterwards  for  all 
Israel.' 

The  order  to  be  observed  is  as  follows  : 

'The  father  takes  the  cock  in  his  hand  and  repeats  these 
verses,  "Such  as  sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow  of  death. 
.  .  .  They  cry  unto  the  Lord.  .  .  .  Fools,  because  of  their 
transgressions,  and  because  of  their  iniquities,  are  afflicted. 
Their  soul  abhorreth  all  manner  of  meat :  and  they  draw  near 
unto  the  gates  of  death.     Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their 

*   Thojig/its  on  the  Boo/;  of  Psalms,  by  the  Rev.  D.  T.  K.  Drummond, 

P-  527- 


PSALM  CVIL 


429 


trouble;  and  He  saveth  them  out  of  their  distresses.  He 
sendeth  His  word,  and  healeth  them,  and  delivereth  them 
from  their  destructions.  Ok  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord 
for  His  goodness^  and  for  His  wonderful  ivorks  to  the  children  of 
men  '  (Psahii  cvii.  14-21).  *  If  there  be  ...  a  ransom  '  (Job 
xxxiii.  23,  24). 

After  having  uttered  this  prayer,  he  moves  the  '  atonement 
cock '  round  his  head  thrice,  saying,  '  This  is  my  substitute ; 
this  is  my  commutation ;  this  cock  goeth  to  death,  but  may  I 
be  gathered,  and  enter  into  a  long  and  happy  life,  and  into 
peace.'  He  then  begins  again  at  the  words,  *  The  children  of 
men,'  and  so  he  does  three  times.  The  same  ceremony  has 
to  be  gone  through  by  each  member  of  the  family.  After  the 
Kaparoth  (atoning  sacrifice)  has  been  made  by  the  father,  the 
mother  takes  a  hen,  and  performs  the  same  ceremony,  and 
afterwards  follow  the  children,  according  to  their  respective 
ages. 

The  prescribed  order  being  performed,  each  one  lays  his 
hand  upon  his  atonement,  as  was  usual  with  the  sacrifices  in 
the  Temple,  and  immediately  after  it  is  sent  away  to  be  killed.* 

Verse  15.  Oh  that  men  would  therefore  praise  the  Lord  for 
His  goodness. — It  is  told  of  Sydney  Smith,  that,  when  preach- 
ing in  Edinburgh,  in  the  first  quarter  of  this  century,  seeing 
how  almost  exclusively  the  congregations  were  composed  of 
ladies,  he  gave  out  as  his  text,  '  Oh  that  men  would  therefore 
pi^aise  the  Lord T  laying  distinct  emphasis  on  the  word  'men.' 
That  was  in  questionable  taste,  but  it  marked  a  fact.  Bishop 
Ryle,  writing  in  1853,  laments  the  absence  of  men  from  churches, 
and  there  are  still  parishes  in  which  that  complaint  might  be 
made.  It  was  not  so  in  the  Chapel  of  St.  George's  during 
James  Hannington's  incumbency.t 

Verse  20.  He  sent  His  word  and  healed  them,  and  they  were 
saved  from  their  destruction. — When  George  Wishart  arrived  at 

*  Piditres  fi-om  fewish  Life  [Sunday  at  LLome,  1 877,  p.  551). 
+  Life  of  Bishop  Hannington,  p.  129. 


430  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Dundee,  where  the  plague  was  raging  (1545),  he  caused  inti- 
mation to  be  made  that  he  would  preach  ;  and  for  that  purpose 
chose  his  station  upon  the  head  of  the  East-gate,  the  infected 
persons  standing  without,  and  those  that  were  whole  within. 

His  text  was  Psalm  cvii.  20,  H^  sent  His  word  and  healed 
them,  and  they  were  saved  from  their  destruction,  wherein  he 
treated  of  the  profit  and  comfort  of  God's  word,  the  punish- 
ment that  comes  by  contempt  of  it,  the  readiness  of  God's 
mercy  to  such  as  truly  turn  to  Him,  and  the  happiness  of  those 
whom  God  takes  from  this  misery,  etc. 

By  which  sermon  he  so  raised  up  the  hearts  of  those  that 
heard  him,  that  they  regarded  not  death,  but  judged  them 
more  happy  that  should  then  depart,  rather  than  such  as  should 
remain  behind,  considering  that  they  knew  not  whether  they 
should  have  such  a  comforter  with  them.'"' 

Verse  23-32.  They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  .  .  .praise 
Him  in  the  seat  of  the  elders. — Addison  remarks  that  he  prefers 
this  description  of  a  ship  in  a  storm  before  any  others  he  has 
ever  met  with,  and  for  the  same  reason  for  which  '  Longinus 
recommends  one  in  Homer,  because  the  poet  has  not  amused 
himself  with  little  fancies  upon  the  occasion,  as  authors  of  an  in- 
ferior genius,  whom  he  mentions,  had  done,  but  because  he 
has  gathered  together  those  circumstances  which  are  the  most 
apt  to  terrify  the  imagination,  and  which  really  happened  in 
the  raging  of  the  tempest.'  By  the  way,  he  adds,  '  how  much 
more  comfortable,  as  well  as  rational,  is  this  system  of  the 
Psalmist,  than  the  pagan  scheme  in  Virgil,  and  other  poets, 
where  one  deity  is  represented  as  raising  a  storm,  and  another 
as  laying  it !  Were  we  only  to  consider  the  sublime  in  this 
piece  of  poetry,  what  can  be  nobler  than  the  idea  it  gives  us 
of  the  Supreme  Being  thus  raising  a  tumult  among  the  elements, 
and  recovering  them  out  of  their  confusion — thus  troubling  and 
recalming  nature  ?'t 

*   A  General  Ma?-tyroIogie.  by  Samuel  Clarke. 

f  Spectator,  No.  489  (quoted  by  Bishop  Perowne). 


PSALM  CVII.  431 

Verse  29.  For  Be  maketJi  the  storm  to  cease ^  so  that  the  waves 
thereof  are  stilt. — Then  about  midnight,  when  the  ships  were 
rolhng  fearfully,  and  everything  on  every  side  was  falling  to 
pieces  with  deafening  noise,  there  came  a  tremendous  sea,  wash- 
ing clean  over  the  ship  and  filling  almost  every  cabin  with  water, 
and  an  awful  yell  of  agony,  '  Murder.'  I  jumped  up,  with  all 
the  fresh  life  and  energy  which  imminent  danger  lends  for  the 
moment,  to  ascertain  what  had  befallen  us.  A  poor  fellow,  a 
seaman,  had  been  knocked  down  by  the  sea  and  both  his  legs 
fearfully  shattered  to  pieces.  Then  the  horses  on  board  one 
after  another,  knocked  to  bits,  died,  and  were  thrown  over- 
board ;  and  so  we  went  on  bravely  existing — the  cabin  full  of 
water,  my  very  bed  drenched — till  on  the  eighth  day  God  had 
pity  and  stayed  the  stormy  sea,  '  a7id  delivered  us  out  of  our 
distress ' ;  ^  for  He  maketh  the  storm  to  cease,  so  that  the 
waves  thei-eof  are  still.'  That  wonderful  Psalm,  read  in  church 
when  I  was  being  tossed  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay  on  the  22nd, 
and  when  you  were  so  anxiously  thinking  of  me,  has  been 
much  in  my  thoughts.* 

Verse  30.  And  so  Be  briiigeth  them  imto  the  haveji  where  they 
luould he. —These  words  are  on  the  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Sir 
John  Franklin  and  others.  It  was  left  at  Disco  in  1855  by  the 
American  expedition,  which  was  unable  to  reach  Beechey 
Island,  and  it  was  set  up  in  its  place  by  Captain  McClintock, 
R.N.,  who  commanded  the  final  expedition  of  search  for 
ascertaining  the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  companions 
in  1858. 

To  the  Memory  of 

FRANKLIN, 

CROZIER,  FITZJAMES, 

and  all  their 

gallant  brother  officers  and  faithful 

companions  who  have  suffered  and  perished 

in  the  cause  of  science  and 

the  service  of  their  country. 

*  Memoir  of fajiies  Skinjier,  p.  148. 


432  PSALM-MOSAICS 

This  Tablet 
is  erected  near  the  spot  where 

they  passed  their  first  Arctic 

winter,  and  whence  they  issued 

forth  to  conquer  difficulties  or 

to  Die. 

It  commemorates  the  grief  of  their 

admiring  countrymen  and  friends, 
and  the  anguish,  subdued  by  faith, 

of  her  who  has  lost,  in  the  heroic 

leader  of  the  expedition,  the  most 

devoted  and  affectionate  of 

husbands. 

'  And  so  He  h'ingeth  the?n  nnto  the 

haven  where  ihey  would  he.' 

1855.* 

Verse  32.  That  they  -would  exalt  Him  also  in  the  co?igregation 
of  the  people,  and  praise  Him  in  the  seat  of  the  elders. — Those 
who  have  ever  been  to  the  chapel  at  St.  Addresse,  near  Havre, 
sacred  to  mariners,  and  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  will 
be  reminded  by  this  verse  of  their  visit.  But  there,  alas  !  the 
votive  offerings  of  gratitude  and  praise  are  made  by  those  who 
have  been  delivered  from  the  perils  of  the  aea,  not  to  the 
Creator,  but  only  to  St.  ]\Iary,  the  most  highly  honoured  of 
His  creatures. t 


PSALM  cvni. 

Headi?ig  (Delitzsch). — Two  Elohimic  fragments  brought  to- 
gether. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Warrior's  Morning  Song. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  was  pre- 
pared with  a  song,  for  the  ministry  and  psalmody  of  the  House 
of  the  Lord  ;  also  containing  an  allusion  to  the  calling  of  the 
Gentiles. 

*    The  Fate  of  Sir  foh^i  Franklin,  by  Admiral  McClintock,  p.  146. 
+   The  Cofnpanion  to  the  Psalter,  by  Rev.  J.  Gurnhill,  p.  269. 


PSALM  CVIII.  433 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  consists  of  portions  of  two 
others,  the  first  half  of  it  being  taken  from  the  57th  Psalm, 
verses  7-1 1  (8-12),  and  the  latter  half  from  the  60th,  verses  5-12 
(7-14).  It  bears  the  name  of  David  because  the  original  pas- 
sages both  occur  in  Psalms  ascribed  to  him  as  their  author. 
But  there  is  no  reason  for  concluding  that  these  fragments 
were  thus  united  by  David  himself.  Some  later  poet  probably 
adapted  them  to  circumstances  of  his  own  time — possibly 
wished  thus  to  commemorate  some  victory  over  Edom  or 
Philistia. 

In  Church. — On  Ascension  Day  Our  Blessed  Lord,  having 
redeemed  the  world  and  conquered  death,  sat  down  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Father,  'from  henceforth  waiting  till  His 
enemies  be  made  His  footstool,'  of  which  completed  victory 
over  every  opposing  power  the  triumphs  of  David  were  a 
distinct  prophecy.  This  Psalm  is  therefore  appointed  the 
third  Psalm  at  Evensong  on  Ascension  Day."^ 

Verse  2.  Awake,  thou  lute,  and  harp  ;  I  myself  ivill  awake 
right  early. — With  reference  to  this  passage,  the  Talmud  says, 
'A  cithern  used  to  hang  above  David's  bed,  and  when  mid- 
night came  the  north  wind  blew  among  the  strings,  so  that  they 
sounded  of  themselves ;  and  forthwith  he  arose,  and  busied 
himself  with  the  Tora  until  the  pillar  of  the  dawn  ascended.' 
Rashi  observes,  '  The  dawn  awakes  the  other  kings,  but  I,  said 
David,  will  awake  the  dawn.'t 

DeHtzsch  translates  verse  3  (verse  2),  'Awake  up,  O  harp 
and  cithern ;  I  will  awake  the  morning  dawn.' 

Talmudists  say  that  before  David  slept,  he  used  to  repeat 
this  verse  of  the  108th  Psalm,  'Arise,  my  glory,  awake  Psaltery 
and  Harpe  ;  I  my  self e  will  awake  right  early'  As  if  he  should 
say,  '  Both  thou,  my  Psaltery  and  Harpe,  doe  ye  beginne  be- 

*  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  243. 
t  Franz  Delitzsch. 

28 


434 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


times  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  I  will  early  arise  to  prophecy.' 
And  hence  some  of  the  Jews  have  concluded  that  David 
deserved  a  pre-eminence  above  all  other  Prophets.  For 
(say  they)  the  Day-light  raysed  other  Prophets  ;  but  the  Holy 
Spirit  Himselfe  awaked  David;  that  before  the  Day-spring 
he  might  Prophecie.^ 

Fe7'se  9.  Moab  is  my  wash-pot. — The  office  of  washing  the 
feet  was  in  the  East  commonly  performed  by  slaves,  and  the 
meanest  of  the  family,  as  appears  from  what  Abigail  said  to 
David  when  he  took  her  to  wife,  '  Behold,  let  thine  handmaid 
be  a  servant  to  wash  the  feet  of  the  servants  of  my  lord ' 
(i  Sam.  XXV.  41);  and  from  the  fact  of  our  Saviour  washing 
His  disciples'  feet,  to  give  them  an  example  of  humility  (John 
xiii.  5). 

Gataker  and  Le  Clerc  illustrate  this  text  from  an  anecdote 
related  by  Herodotus,  concerning  Amasis,  King  of  Egypt,  who 
expressed  the  meanness  of  his  own  origin  by  comparing  him- 
self to  a  pot  for  washing  feet  in  (Herod.,  lib.  ii.,  c.  172). 
When,  therefore,  it  is  said,  '  Aloab  is  my  washing  pot,''  the 
complete  and  servile  subjection  of  Moab  to  David  is  strongly 
marked.  This  is  expressed,  not  by  comparing  Moab  to  a  slave 
who  performs  the  lowest  offices,  as  presenting  to  his  master 
the  basin  for  washing  his  feet,  but  by  comparing  him  to  the 
mean  utensil  itself. t 


PSALM  CIX. 

Headifig   (Delitzsch). —  Imprecation    upon   the  curser  who 
prefers  the  curse  to  the  blessing. 

Contents   (Syriac). — A  Psalm   of  David  :  when  the  people 

*  A  Preparatioti  to  the  Psalter,  by  G.  Wither,  chap,  v.,  p.  43. 
+  James  Anderson's  Note  to  Calvin  on  Psalui  Ix. 


PSALM  CIX.  435 

made  Absalom  king  without  his  knowledge,  for  which  cause 
he  was  slain,  and,  as  respects  ourselves,  containing  an  allusion 
to  the  sufferings  of  God  the  Messiah. 

T/ie  Whole  Fsalm. — This  Psalm  was  called  by  the  ancient 
Fathers  of  the  Church  '  Psalmus  Iscarioticus,'  as  referring  to 
the  treason  of  Judas  Iscariot,  and  of  all  who  resemble  him  in 
treachery  to  Christ.* 

'  Mysterious '  was  the  one  word  written  opposite  this  Psalm 
in  the  pocket  Bible  of  a  late  devout  and  popular  writer.  It 
represents  the  utter  perplexity  with  which  it  is  very  generally 
regarded.! 

Calvin  states,  as  a  thing  notorious  in  his  time,  that  certain 
monks — the  Franciscans  especially — made  a  detestable  trade 
of  this  Psalm.  If  anyone  had  a  mortal  enemy  and  wished 
him  destroyed,  he  would  hire  one  of  those  wretches  to  curse 
him  day  by  day  in  the  words  of  the  109th  Psalm.  The  re- 
former adds  that  he  himself  knew  a  lady  of  rank  in  France 
who  hired  certain  Franciscans  to  imprecate  perdition  in  this 
way  on  her  only  son.  Matthew  Henry,  after  mentioning  these 
shameful  facts,  makes  this  reflection,  that  '  greater  impiety  can 
scarcely  be  imagined  that  to  vent  a  devilish  passion  in  the 
language  of  sacred  writ,  to  kindle  strife  with  coals  snatched 
from  God's  altar,  and  to  call  for  fire  from  heaven  with  a  tongue 
set  on  fire  of  hell.' :• 

The  Patriarch  Nicon  resigned  the  Patriarchal  See,  1658, 
after  a  quarrel  with  the  Emperor  Alexis,  and  retired  finally  into 
the  one  of  his  monasteries  nearest  Moscow.  Here  he  fished  in 
the  river,  assisted  at  the  drainage  of  the  marshes  like  a  com- 
mon peasant,  and  worked  like  a  common  stonemason  in  the 
erection  of  the  convent  church.     But  neither  the  ideal  nor  the 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  174. 

t  Joseph  Hammond. 

i   The  Psalms  :  their  History  and  Teachings  by  Dr.  Binnie,  p.  296. 


436  PSALM-MOSAICS 

practice  of  solitary  asceticism  could  enable  Nicon  to  forget 
that  he  had  been,  that  he  was  still,  except  by  his  own  rash  ab- 
dication, the  Patriarch  of  Russia.  He  refused  by  any  act  or 
word  to  acknowledge  a  successor  to  the  See.  He  caused  a 
special  office  to  be  sung  in  the  convent,  in  which  day  by  day 
were  repeated  the  curses  from  the  109th  Psalm. 

'  I  have  not  cursed  the  Czar,'  was  his  answer  to  the  commis- 
sioner who  came  from  Moscow  to  complain  ;  '  I  have  not 
cursed  the  Czar,  but  I  have  cursed  you,  the  nobles  of  the 
Church ;  if  you  have  a  mind  to  stay  and  hear  it,  I  will  have 
the  same  Office  sung  over  again  in  your  ears.'^  (See  also  note 
on  verse  16.) 

Verse  7.  Zet  another  take  his  office. — -In  Acts  i.  20  St.  Peter 
combines  a  part  of  the  8th  verse  of  this  Psalm,  '  his  office  let 
another  take,'  with  the  words  slightly  altered  from  the  25th 
(Heb.  26th)  verse  of  the  69th  Psalm,  and  applies  them  to 
Judas  Iscariot.  Hence  the  Psalm  has  been  regarded  by  the 
majority  of  expositors,  ancient  and  modern,  as  a  prophetic  and 
Messianic  Psalm.  The  language  has  been  justified,  not  as  the 
language  of  David,  but  as  the  language  of  Christ  executing 
His  office  of  Judge.t 

Verse  11.  Let  the  extortioner  consume  all  that  he  hath. — 
Note  :  he  is  most  miserable  who  falls  into  the  hands  of  usurers  ; 
for  they  will  flay  him  alive  and  drain  his  blood.  The  Romans, 
that  they  might  deter  the  citizens  from  usury,  placed  a  statue 
of  Marsyas  in  the  forum  or  law-court,  by  which  they  signified 
that  those  who  came  into  the  hands  of  usurers  would  be  skinned 
alive ;  and  to  show  that  usurers,  as  the  most  unjust  litigants, 
deserved  hanging,  they  placed  a  rope  in  the  hand  of  the  figure.  I 
(Marsyas  was  a  piper  of  Phrygia,  who  challenged  Apollo  to  a 
trial  of  skill  as  a  musician.     The  defeated  one  was  to  be  flayed 

*  Stanley's  Eastern  Church,  p.  369. 

+    The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  283. 

i  Le  Blanc  (quoted  by  Spurgeon),  vol.  v.,  p.  178. 


PSALM  CIX.  437 

alive  by  the  conqueror,  and,  as  Apollo  was  the  victor,  Marsyas 
was  tied  to  a  tree  and  flayed  alive.) 

Ve?'se  1 6.  He  loved  not  blessing,  therefore  shall  it  be  far 
from  him. — Nicon  was  degraded  from  his  office  to  the  rank  of 
a  simple  monk,  and  banished  for  the  rest  of  his  life  to  do  pen- 
ance in  a  distant  monastery.  He  maintained  his  proud  sarcastic 
bearing  to  the  end.  '  Why  do  you  degrade  me  without  the 
presence  of  the  Czar,  in  this  small  church  '  (a  small  church,  now 
destroyed,  over  the  gates  of  one  of  the  Kremlin  convents),  'and 
not  in  the  cathedral  where  you  once  implored  me  to  ascend 
the  Patriarchal  Throne  ?  .  .  .'  It  was  in  the  depths  of  a  Russian 
winter,  and  the  Czar  sent  him  by  one  of  his  kindlier  courtiers 
a  present  of  money  and  sable  furs  for  the  journey  to  the  far 
north.  The  impenetrable  prelate  sternly  replied  :  '  Take  these 
back  to  him  who  sent  them  ;  these  are  not  what  Nicon  wants.' 

The  courtier  entreated  him  not  to  affront  the  Czar  by  his 
refusal,  and  also  asked,  in  the  Czar's  name,  for  his  forgiveness 
and  blessing. 

'  He  loved  not  blessing,'  said  Nicon,  in  allusion  to  the  109th 
Psalm,  in  which  he  had  before  cursed  all  his  enemies  except 
the  Czar,  'and  therefore  it  shall  be  far  from  him.'"^ 

Verse  30.  He  shall  stand  at  the  right  hand  of  the  poor. — One 
of  the  oldest  Rabbinical  commentaries  has  a  very  beautiful 
gloss  on  this  passage  :  '  Whenever  a  man  stands  at  thy  door, 
the  Holy  One,  blessed  be  His  Name,  stands  at  his  right  hand. 
If  thou  givest  him  alms,  know  that  thou  shalt  receive  a  reward 
from  Him  who  standeth  at  his  right  hand.'f 

*  Stanley's  Eastern  Church,  p.  373. 

t  Sketches  of  the  [eiuish  Social  Life  in  the  Days  of  Christ,  by  Dr. 
Edersheim. 


438  PSALM-MOSAICS 


PSALM  ex. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — To  the  Priest-King  at  the  right  hand 
of  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  subject  is  the  Priest-King. 

Co7itents  (Syriac). — A  Psahii  of  David  —  concerning  the 
Session  of  the  Lord,  and  concerning  His  glorious  power.  A 
prophecy  also  of  the  Messiah  and  of  His  triumph  over  the 
adversary. 

In  Church. — The  Syriac  entitles  this  Psalm  '  A  prophecy  of 
Christ's  victory  over  His  enemies,'  and  the  Church  has  ap- 
pointed this  Psalm  to  be  used  on  Christmas  Day,  when  she 
celebrates  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  in  which  the  Eternal 
^Vord  took  our  nature  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  became 
Emmanuel,  God  with  us,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  and 
which  was  the  origin  and  well-spring  of  all  those  glorious  pre- 
rogatives which  are  celebrated  in  this  Psalm. 

Both  the  Latin  and  Sarum  Use  appoint  this  Psalm  for 
Christmas  Day.  It  is  also  appointed  in  the  Latin  and  Sarum 
Use  for  the  Festival  of  the  Circumcision,  when  our  Lord  re- 
ceived His  Name  Jesus. "^ 

The  Whole  Psalm. — This  Psalm  is  well  characterized  by 
St.  Augustine,  '  Brevis  numero,  verborum,  sed  magnus  pondere 
sententiarum.' 

Luther  remarks  on  this  Psalm  that  it  is  worthy  to  be  set  in 
a  frame  of  gold  and  diamonds,  so  full  it  is,  he  says,  of  excel- 
lent Christian  thought  and  Divine  instruction,  and  of  all  the 
Psalms  the  very  crown  and  chief.  The  fifth  verse  in  particular, 
he  says,  is  like  a  rich  copious  mine,  from  which  flow  Christian 
instruction  and  wisdom,  faith,  hope  and  confidence,  the  like  to 
which  no  other  Scripture  supplies.! 

*   Bishop  Wordsworth's  Cojnmentary,  p.  177. 
t   The  Speaker's  Commentary,  p.  429. 


PSALM  ex.  439 

T/iis  Psalm  is  quoted  in  the  New  Testament  six  times  :  three 
in  the  Gospels  (St.  Matt.  xxii.  43,  St.  Mark  xii.  36,  St.  Luke 
XX.  42),  once  in  the  Acts  (Acts  ii.  34),  and  twice  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  (Heb.  i.  13,  v.  6). 

Verse  i.  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord:  Sit  thou  on  My  right 
hand,  i.e.,  the  place  of  associated  power  in  the  sovereignty. 
An  argument  against  the  Arians  was  based  on  this  very  fact. 

At  a  time  (a.d.  385)  when  the  leaders  of  the  Arians  were 
exceedingly  powerful,  and  great  efforts  were  being  made  to 
secure  the  patronage  of  the  state  for  them,  St.  Amphilochius, 
Bishop  of  Iconium,  headed  a  deputation  of  Catholic  prelates 
to  Theodosius  the  Great,  to  counteract  the  scheme.  The 
young  Arcadius,  who  had  lately  been  proclaimed  Augustus 
by  his  father,  was  seated  beside  the  Emperor,  but  the  aged 
Bishop  omitted  him  altogether  when  paying  the  customary 
marks  of  respect  to  the  sovereign.  Theodosius,  believing  this 
to  be  an  oversight,  desired  the  saint  to  salute  Arcadius.  The 
old  man  drew  near,  and  caressed  the  boy,  saying,  '  Good-day, 
my  son.' 

Theodosius,  much  incensed,  and  thinking  that  an  insult  was 
intended,  gave  orders  that  the  Bishop  should  be  driven  out  of 
the  hall  of  audience ;  but  he,  turning  to  the  Emperor  as  the 
guards  were  about  to  execute  the  mandate,  cried  out  :  '  See, 
Emperor,  you  cannot  bear  any  disrespect  shown  to  your  son, 
but  are  exceedingly  wroth  with  those  that  are  insolent  to  him. 
Believe,  then,  that  Almighty  God  also  hateth  them  that  blas- 
pheme His  only-begotten  Son,  and  is  indignant  with  them  for 
their  ingratitude  towards  their  Saviour  and  Benefactor.' 

And  Theodosius,  struck  by  the  cogency  of  the  argument, 
withdrew  his  protection  from  the  Arians  and  Eunomians."* 

Verse  7.  He  shall  drink  of  the  brook  in  the  way^  therefore  shall 
he  lift  up  his  head. — Cf.  Shakespeare's  lines  : 

'  Three  times  they  breath'd,  and  three  times  did  they  drink, 
Upon  agreement,  of  swift  Severn's  flood.' 

Khtg  Henry  IV.,  Act  I.,  Sc.  iii. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Comjnentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  443. 


440  PSALM-AIOSAICS 

PSALM  CXI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Alphabetical  song  in  praise  of  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Psalm  of  God's  Works,  intended  to 
excite  us  to  the  work  of  praise. 

Contefzts  (Syriac). — Concerning  the  excellency  of  the  works 
of  God,  and  enjoining  upon  us  to  render  thanksgiving  unto  the 
Messiah.     Spoken  in  the  persons  of  the  Apostles. 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  by  the  Latin  and 
Sarum  Use  for  Christmas,  and  by  our  own  Church  for  Easter. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  following,  taken  from  The  Psalms 
Chronologically  Arranged,  by  '  Four  Friends,'  will  give  the 
reader  an  idea  of  the  alphabetical  character  of  this  Psalm. 

All  my  heart  shall  praise  Jehovah, 

Before  the  congregation  of  the  righteous  ; 
Deeds  of  goodness  are  the  deeds  of  Jehovah, 

Earnestly  desired  of  all  them  that  have  pleasure  therein  ; 
For  His  righteousness  endureth  for  ever, 

Glorious  and  honourable  is  His  work. 
He  hath  made  His  wonderful  works  to  be  remembered, 

In  Jehovah  is  compassion  and  goodness  ; 
Jehovah  hath  given  meat  to  them  that  fear  Him, 

Keeping  his  covenant  for  ever, 
Learning  His  people  the  power  of  His  works. 

Making  them  to  possess  the  heritage  of  the  heathen  ; 
Naught  save  truth  and  equity  are  the  works  of  His  hands, 

Ordered  and  sure  are  His  commands. 
Planted  fast  for  ever  and  ever, 

Righteous  and  true  are  His  testimonies  ; 
Salvation  hath  He  sent  unto  His  people, 

Their  covenant  hath  He  made  fast  for  ever  ; 
Upright  and  holy  is  His  name, 

Verily,  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom, 
Yea,  a  good  understanding  have  all  they  that  do  thereafter ; 

Zealously  shall  He  be  praised  for  ever. 

Verse  4.  The  merciful  and  g7'acioiis  Lord  hath  so  done  Bis 
marvellous  works.,  that  they  ought  to  be  had  in  remembrajice. — 
Milton  has  imitated  this  passage  : 


PSALM  CXI.  441 

'  For  wonderful  indeed  are  all  His  works, 
Pleasant  to  know,  and  worthiest  to  be  all 
Had  in  remembrance  always  with  delight.' 

Paradise  Lost,  iii. 

The  following  quotation,  too,  illustrates  this  verse  : 

'  Soft  roll  your  incense,  herbs,  and  fruit  and  flowers, 
In  mingled  clouds  to  Him  ;  Whose  sun  exalts, 
Whose  breath  perfumes  you,  and  Whose  pencil  paints. 
Ye  forests,  bend,  ye  harvests,  wave  to  Him  ; 
Breathe  your  still  song  into  the  reaper's  heart 
As  home  he  goes  beneath  the  joyous  moon.' 

James  Thomson. 

Verse  ^.  He  hath  given  7iieat  unto  them  that  fear  Him. — 
Meat. — Delitzsch  supposes  that  by  the  '  memorial '  (ver.  4, 
'  marvellous  works  ...  be  had  in  remembrance  ')  is  meant  the 
Festivals,  which  were  instituted  to  keep  alive  the  remembrance 
of  God's  mighty  works  in  the  days  of  Moses  ;  and  by  the  '  food  ' 
(ver.  5,  'meat'),  the  meal  accompanying  the  sacrifices,  and 
the  Paschal  feast.  (It  is  with  reference  to  this  sense,  doubt- 
less, that  Luther  calls  the  Psalm  'an  Easter  or  Paschal  Psalm.') 
Theodoret,  Augustine,  and  others,  understand  by  this  '  food  ' 
in  the  New  Testament  sense,  the  Eucharist,  and  the  Psalm 
has  been  accordingly  used  as  a  Eucharistic  Psalm.  It  is  a 
curious  instance  of  the  way  in  which  a  word  may  draw  to  itself 
a  whole  train  of  thought  with  which  it  has  really  no  connection."^ 

Verse  9.  He  sent  redemption  unto  His  people  ;  He  hath  com- 
ma/ided  His  covenant  for  ever :  holy  and  revere?idis  His  name. — 
It  is  the  ninth  verse  which  gives  its  Easter  character  to  this 
Psalm.  The  redemption  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt  was 
figurative  of  that  greater  redemption  from  the  captivity  of 
Satan  which  was  accomplished  on  the  day  our  Lord  broke 
the  bonds  of  death. t 

Verse  10.  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom. — 
Rabbi  Alexander  said  :  '  He  who  possesses  worldly  wisdom,  and 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  314. 
f  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  253. 


442  PSALM -MOSAICS 

fears  not  the  Lord,  is  as  one  who  designs  building  a  house, 
and  completes  only  the  door ;  for,  as  David  wrote,  "  The  be- 
ginning of  wisdom  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  '"^ 


PSALM  CXIL 

Heading. — Alphabetical  song  in  praise  of  those  who  fear 
God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  blessedness  of  the  righteous  man. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Anonymous  ;  in  which  David  giveth  in- 
struction to  Solomon  his  son  :  Keep  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord,  and  serve  Him.  Also  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles 
and  the  judgment  of  the  Messiah. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — It  was  said  of  Rabbi  Tarphon,  that 
though  a  very  wealthy  man,  he  was  not  charitable  according  to 
his  means.  One  time  Rabbi  Akiba  said  to  him  :  '  Shall  I  in- 
vest some  money  for  thee  in  real  estate,  in  a  manner  which 
will  be  very  profitable  ?'  Rabbi  Tarphon  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  and  brought  to  Rabbi  Akiba  four  thousand  denars 
in  gold,  to  be  so  applied.  Rabbi  Akiba  immediately  distri- 
buted the  same  among  the  poor.  Some  time  after  this  Rabbi 
Tarphon  met  Rabbi  Akiba,  and  asked  him  where  the  real 
estate  which  he  had  bought  for  him  was  situated.  Akiba  led 
his  friend  to  the  cottage,  and  showed  him  a  little  boy  who 
recited  for  them  the  it 2th  Psalm.  When  he  reached  the 
9th  verse,  '  He  distributeth,  he  giveth  to  the  needy,  his 
righteousness  endureth  for  ever,'  '  There,'  said  Akiba,  *  thy 
property  is  with  David,  the  King  of  Israel,  who  said,  "  He 
distributeth,  he  giveth  to  the  needy." '  '  And  wherefore  hast 
thou  done  this  ?'  asked  Tarphon.  '  Knowest  thou  not,' 
answered  Akiba,  '  how  Nacdimon,  the  son  of  Guryon,  was 
punished    because   he    gave    not    according   to    his    means  ?' 

*   The  Tabmid,  p.  238. 


PSALM  CXII.  443 

'  Well,'  returned  the  other,  '  why  didst  thou  not  tell  me  this  ? 
Could  I  not  have  distributed  my  means  without  thy  aid  ?' 
'  Nay,'  said  Akiba,  '  it  is  a  greater  virtue  to  cause  another  to 
give  than  to  give  one's  self.'  From  this  we  may  learn  that  he 
who  is  not  charitable  according  to  his  means  will  be  punished.^ 

Verse  4.  Unto  the  godly  there  ariseth  tip  light  in  the  darkness. 
— The  use  of  this  verse  as  the  Antiphon  to  the  Psalm  in  the 
second  Vespers  of  Christmas  supplies  us  at  once  with  the 
highest  sense  of  the  word,  as  denoting  the  revelation  of  Christ 
to  the  world,  a  light  shining  in  the  dark  places  of  the  earth, 
on  them  who  aforetime  sat  in  the  shadow  of  death,  and  that 
light  Himself,  merciful,  loving,  and  righteous. t 

Verse  7.  He  will  not  be  afraid  of  any  evil  tidiiigs,  for  his 
heart  sta?ideth  fast.,  and  believeth  in  the  Lord. — That  'the 
righteous  are  bold  as  a  lion,'  that  they  '  will  not  be  afraid  of 
any  evil  tidings ' ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  ungodly  are 
'  brought  into  great  fear  even  where  no  fear  is,'  and  that  they 
'flee  when  no  man  pursueth' — these  and  suchlike  truths  of 
Holy  Scripture  are  set  forth  again  and  again  in  the  pages  of 
Shakespeare  with  a  vividness  proportioned  to  their  moral 
weight.     Thus  the  Duke  says,  in  Measure  for  Measure  : 

'  Virtue  is  bold,  and  goodness  never  fearful.' 

Act  III.,  Sc.  i. 

The  Lord  Say,  in  King  He7iry  VI.,  2nd  Part : 

'  The  trust  I  have  is  in  mine  innocence, 
And  therefore  am  I  bold  and  resolute.' 

Act  IV.,  Sc.  iv. 

The  'good  Duke,'  Humphrey  of  Gloster,  in  the  same  play  : 

'A  heart  unspotted  is  not  easily  daunted.' 

Act  III.,  Sc.  i. 


*   The  Talmud,  p.  233. 

■{■  Dr.  Neale's  Commentajy,  vol.  iii.,  p.  466. 


444  PSALM. MOSAICS 

The  Duke  of  Albany,  in  King  Lear : 

'  Where  I  could  not  be  honest 
I  never  yet  was  valiant.' 

Act  v.,  Sc.  i.* 

Verse  9.  He  hath  dispersed  abroad^  a?id  give7i  to  the  poor  ; 
a7id  his  righteousness  remaineth  for  ever  ;  his  horn  shall  be  ex- 
alted with  honour. — The  Apostle  St.  Paul,  in  quoting  this  verse 
with  reference  to  the  contributions  for  which  he  was  asking  the 
Corinthians,  prefixes  some  words  of  his  own  which  serve  as  a 
comment  on  the  latter  part  of  it  :  '  God  is  able  to  make  all 
grace  abound  toward  you  ;  that  ye,  always  having  all  sufficiency 
in  all  things,  may  abound  to  every  good  work  '  (2  Cor.  ix.  8). 

Then  follows  the  quotation  from  the  Psalm,  and  the  connec- 
tion makes  it  clear  that  the  intention  in  this  place  is  to  repre- 
sent the  endurance  of  righteousness  and  the  exaltation  of  the 
horn  as  God's  reward  for  charitable  dealing  towards  the  poor. 
Accordingly,  the  words  are  used  as  the  Versicle  and  Response 
to  the  Hymn  in  the  Office  of  St.  Lawrence,  famous  in  ecclesi- 
astical history  for  the  distribution  of  the  treasures  of  the  Church 
among  the  needy.  The  word  dispersed  implies  the  extent  and 
freedom  of  bounty,  like  the  rays  of  the  sun  on  the  drops  of 
the  rain.  But  it  was  actually  perverted  by  certain  Talmudists 
to  mean  turning  a  small  sum  of  money  into  coins  of  the  lowest 
value,  and  bestowing  these  upon  a  large  number  of  persons, 
so  as  to  spread  the  parsimonious  gift  over  the  widest  area.t 


PSALM  CXIIL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Hallelujah   to    Him   who   raiseth  out 
of  low  estate. 

Title    (Spurgeon). — With   this    Psalm   begins  the   Hallel  or 
Hallelujah  of  the  Jews,  which  was  sung  at  their  solemn  feasts  ; 

*  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.   153. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Co??imentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  470. 


PSALM  CXI  11.  445 

we   will    therefore    call    it     The    Commencement    of    the 
Hallel. 

Co?itents  (Syriac). — Anonymous  ;  in  which  reference  is  made 
to  the  diligence  to  be  shown  by  the  priests  in  the  prime  of  the 
morning ;  and  instructing  us  who  are  a  new  people,  regenerated 
by  water  and  the  Spirit,  that  we  should  be  ready  betimes  for 
the  service  of  God,  having  our  hearts  sprinkled  and  washed 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  being  purified  in  our  minds. 

In  Church.— Th.Q  Church  of  England  appoints  this  Psalm 
as  the  first  Psalm  at  Evensong  on  Easter  Day,  and  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  uses  it  at  the  burial  of  children.  '  A  certain 
ambiguity  in  the  LXX.  and  Vulgate,  which  has  boys  or  children 
(•rr/Tdis,  pueri)  for  serz'anfs,  in  verse  i,  has  led  to  the  use  of  the 
Psalm  in  the  Latin  Office  for  infant  baptism  and  burial ' 
(Neale). 

The  Whole  Psalm. — With  this  Psalm  begins  the  great 
'  Hallel,'  or  Alleluia  Magnum,  which  consisted  of  six  Psalms 
(Psalm  cxiii.-cxviii.),  and  was  sung  at  the  Passover  and  Taber- 
nacles, and  at  the  Feast  of  Dedication  and  New  Moon/' 

At  the  Passover  it  was  divided  into  two  parts,  the  first  con- 
sisting of  Psalms  cxiii.,  cxiv.,  sung  before  the  second  Cup  at 
the  Paschal  Supper  was  passed  round,  and  thus  consequently 
before  the  meal  itself,  which  began  immediately  after  that  cere- 
mony ;  the  second  consisting  of  Psalms  cxv.-cxviii.,  sung  after 
the  filling  of  the  fourth  Cup,  and  supposed  to  be  'the  hymn' 
which  Christ  and  the  Apostles  are  stated  to  have  sung  at  the 
Last  Supper,  before  they  went  out  to  Gethsemane.t 

Paiilus  Biirgensis  styles  Psalms  cxiii.-cxviii.  Alleluia  Judce- 
orum  inag7ium,  and  this  has  been  a  very  usual  designation. 
But  according  to  the  ancient  Jewish  tradition,  this  series  of 
Psalms    is    called    simply    'the    Hallel,'   or    sometimes    'the 

*  Wordsworth's  Conunentary,  p.  179. 

J  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  473. 


446  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

Egyptian  Hallel ';  whereas  the  name  '  Great  Hallel '  is  given  to 
Psalm  cxxxvi.,  with  its  '  for  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever '  re- 
peated twenty-six  times."^ 

T/ie  Song  of  Hannah. — This  Psahii  bears  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  the  Magnificat  of  Hannah,  see  verses  6  and  7,  which 
is  reproduced  with  still  greater  force  in  the  Magnificat  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said  to  be  a  connect- 
ing link  between  the  two. 

Verse  2.  Blessed  be  the  Name  of  the  Lord  was  the  cry  of  the 
Huguenots  burnt  at  Paris,  under  Francis  I. 

Verse  6(7).  He  taketh  up  the  simple  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifleth 
the  poor  out  of  the  mire. — When  the  Jews  beheld  the  great 
procession,  and  Mordecai  honoured  in  the  midst  of  it,  they 
followed  after ;  and  in  return  to  the  shouts  of  the  troops  they 
called  out  loudly  :  '  Thus  shall  be  done  to  the  man  who  serves 
the  King  who  created  heaven  and  earth,  and  whom  He  desireth 
to  honour.' 

When  Esther  saw  her  kinsman  thus  arrayed,  she  thanked  the 
Lord  and  praised  Him.  'With  the  Psalmist  I  may  say,'  she 
exclaimed,  '  He  raiseth  up  out  of  the  dust  the  poor,  from  the  du?ig- 
hill  He  lifteth  2ip  the  needy '  (Psalm  cxiii.  7),  '  that  He  may  set 
him  with  princes,  even  with  the  princes  of  His  people.' 

Mordecai  also  praised  the  Lord,  and  said :  '  Thou  hast 
changed  my  mourning  into  dancing  for  me,  Thou  hast 
loosened  my  sackcloth,  and  girded  me  with  joy ;  I  will  extol 
Thee,  O  Lord,  for  Thou  hast  lifted  me  up,  and  hast  not  suffered 
my  enemies  to  rejoice  over  me'  (Psalm  xxx.  12).  Four  dis- 
tinct services  did  Haman  render  Mordecai.  First,  he  was  his 
hairdresser,  for  he  shaved  and  anointed  him ;  secondly,  he  was 
his  valet,  for  he  attended  him  in  the  bath ;  thirdly,  he  was  his 
footman,  for  he  led  the  horse  Mordecai  rode ;  fourthly,  he  was 
his  trumpeter,  for  he  proclaimed  before  him,  '  Thus  shall  be 
done  to  the  man  whom  the  king  desireth  to  honour. 't 

*  Delitzsch,  vol.  iii.,  p.  203. 

t   The  Book  of  Esther  (Talmud),  p.  189. 


PSALM  CXIV.  447 

Verse  8  (9).  He  inaketh  the  barre?i  woman  to  keep  house,  and 
to  be  a  joyful  mother  of  children. — The  allusion  to  barrenness 
here  was  suggested,  doubtless,  by  Hannah's  history,  and  by  the 
strain  of  Hannah's  song.  The  curse  of  barrenness  was  so 
bitter  a  thing  in  Jewish  eyes,  that  its  removal  was  hailed  as  a 
special  mark  of  Divine  favour."^ 


PSALM  CXIV. 

Beading  (Delitzsch). — Commotion  of  Nature  before  God 
the  Redeemer  out  of  Egypt. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — This  sublime  Song  of  the  Exodus. 

Conte?its  (Syriac). — Anonymous  ;  from  the  old  Scriptures, 
concerning  Moses,,  who  sang  praises  at  the  sea ;  and,  as  re- 
spects ourselves,  treating  of  the  call  of  the  Gospel,  by  which 
we  were  made  a  new  people,  before  barbarous,  now  spiritual 
unto  God,  Incarnate  in  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Who  redeemed  us 
by  His  Blood  from  the  curse  of  Scripture,  and  purified  us  from 
sin  by  His  Spirit. 

Origin  (Perowne). — We  have  no  clue  to  guide  us  to  the  age 
of  the  Psalm,  or  the  occasion  for  which  it  was  written,  except 
that  perhaps  the  forms  in  verse  8,  which  are  found  in  other 
late  Psalms,  may  be  taken  to  indicate  a  date  after  the  exile. 

In  Church. — The  return  of  the  Hebrew  people  from  Baby- 
lon was  like  a  national  Resurrection  from  the  dead.  There- 
fore, retrospectively,  it  is  connected  with  the  Resurrection  of 
the  Israelites  of  old  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt ;  and,  pro- 
spectively, with  the  Resurrection  of  the  Israelites  of  God  from 
the  thraldom  of  sin  and  Death  by  the  Resurrection  of  Christ. 
Therefore  this  Psalm  is  appointed  by  the  English  Church 
for  use  on  Easter  Day.f 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  319. 
t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Co?nmeiitary,  p.  180. 


448  PSALM-MOSAICS 

And  so  St.  John  Damascene  : 

'  Come,  ye  faithful,  raise  the  strain 

Of  triumphant  gladness  ! 
God  hath  brought  His  Israel 

Into  joy  from  sadness  : 
Loosed  from  Pharaoh's  bitter  yoke 

Jacob's  sons  and  daughters  ; 
Led  them  with  unmoistened  foot 

Through  the  Red  Sea  waters. 

'  'Tis  the  spring  of  souls  to-day, 

Christ  hath  burst  His  prison  ; 
And  from  three  days'  sleep  in  death 

As  a  sun  hath  risen. 
All  the  winter  of  our  sins, 

Long  and  dark,  is  flying 
From  His  light,  to  Whom  we  give 

Laud  and  praise  undying.'"^ 

T/ie  Whole  Fsalm.—The  same  work  went  on  in  France  as 
in  the  Netherlands.  The  Huguenots  felt  that  the  sovereigns 
were  banded  against  them,  and  that  the  peace  lately  granted 
was  worse  than  war.  .  .  .  Early  in  1568  the  Admiral  de  Coligny, 
who  had  just  lost  his  wife,  brought  his  little  children,  whom  he 
was  afraid  to  leave  behind  him,  to  the  Castle  of  Noyers  in 
Burgundy,  there  to  consult  with  the  Prince  of  Conde.  They 
soon  learnt  that  the  royal  troops  were  being  sent  to  guard  the 
approaches  of  the  castle.  .  .  .  The  two  friends  decided  on 
departing  at  once,  but  could  hope  for  no  place  of  safety  short 
of  La  Rochelle,  and  they  had  only  150  horsemen  at  hand  to 
guard  their  families.  The  Admiral  had  his  four  young  children 
— two  still  in  arms  ;  the  Prince  had  a  delicate  wife  and  three 
infants.  And  D'Andelot's  wife  and  her  two  children  were 
with  him,  while  he  himself  was  away  collecting  assistance  in 
Anjou  and  Brittany.  When  the  cavalcade  of  servants,  women 
and  children  reached  the  Loire,  they  found  that  all  the  bridges 
were  guarded ;  but  the  stream  was  low,  and  a  boatman  showed 
them  a  ford  near  Sancerre.  It  was  at  nightfall,  but  Conde 
rode  through  the  water  first  of  all  with  one  of  his  little  boys 
before  him,  on  his  horse,  and  the  rest  followed,  singing  the 

*   Canon  for  Low  Sunday. 


PSALM  CXIV.  449 

Psalm,  '  ]J7ien  Israel  came  out  of  Egypt.''  For  the  Loire  was 
always  considered  as  a  sort  of  boundary-line  between  the 
Catholic  and  the  Huguenot.  There  were,  of  course,  many 
Catholics  in  the  south,  and  many  reformed  in  the  north  ;  but, 
as  a  general  rule,  the  majority  were  thus  divided.  In  two  days 
more  Conde  had  reached  La  Rochelle,  where  he  was  enthusi- 
astically received.* 

Xavier,  styled  the  Apostle  of  the  Indies,  when  driven  out 
from  Amanguchi,  the  capital  of  Magoto,  attended  only  by 
three  converts,  made  a  pilgrimage  through  the  wilderness,  and, 
after  a  month's  wandering,  reached  Meaco.  But  the  city  was 
in  all  the  horrors  of  a  siege. 

Even  the  Pope  of  Japan  was  too  busy  to  attend  to  other 
than  military  duties,  and  Xavier  was  forced  to  retreat,  chanting, 
*  Whe?i  Israel  went  forth  out  of  Egypt. ^ 

Madame  Ionise  de  Frafice. — In  the  midst  of  this  imposing 
scene  {i.e.,  the  taking  of  the  veil,  at  which  the  Nunzio  and 
twenty-two  Bishops  assisted),  Madame  Louise  was  naturally 
the  object  of  every  gaze.  She  remained  in  her  appointed 
place,  calm  and  recollected,  and  doubtless  thinking  less  of  the 
visible  surroundings  than  of  that  Invisible  Presence,  and  cloud 
of  witnesses,  which  are  a  greater  reality  to  a  fervent  heart  than 
the  most  engrossing  realities  of  the  world. 

Monseigneur  de  la  Riviere,  Bishop  of  Troyes,  preached  the 
sermon,  of  which  no  details  are  given  us,  save  that  it  was  so 
touching  that  all  present,  the  royal  postulant  excepted,  were 
moved  to  tears.  That  ended,  Madame  Louise  rose,  and  ac- 
companied by  the  Dauphine,  and  followed  by  the  Count,  ad- 
vanced with  a  steady  step  towards  the  cloister  she  was  about 
to  enter.  On  the  threshold  she  turned  one  last  look  upon  the 
world  she  was  leaving,  and,  with  a  calm,  grateful  joy,  bade  it 
farewell  for  ever. 

The  brilliant  assembly  which  filled  the  church  looked  on, 
half  admiring,  half  marvelling,  while  the  Princess  prostrated 

"    Cameos  from  English  History,  No.  chi. 

29 


450 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


herself  at  the  Feet  of  Him  Whose  bride  she  sought  to  become, 
and  then  saw  her  raised  by  the  Prioress,  who  led  her  to  the 
Choir,  preceded  by  the  other  Nuns ;  the  Dauphine  and  her 
suite,  as  well  as  that  of  Madame  Louise,  still  accompanying 
her.  The  hymn  '  O  gloriosa  foeminum '  was  sung  the  while. 
The  Princess  was  placed,  kneeling,  in  front  of  the  grille,  her 
confessor,  the  Abbe  du  Ternay,  and  the  King's  chaplain,  the 
Abbe  de  Colincourt,  close  to  her,  while  the  Bishop  of  Chartres 
remamed  by  the  Dauphine,  whose  chaplain  he  was.  The 
Nunzio  then  proceeded  to  put  the  customary  questions  as  to 
the  motives  and  intentions  with  which  the  postulant  was  taking 
this  important  step,  to  which  Madame  Louise  replied  with 
dignity  and  composure. 

This  done,  the  choir  began  to  sing  the  '■  I/i  exitu  Israel^' 
while  she  retired  to  take  off  her  gorgeous  apparel,  and  replace 
it  with  St.  Teresa's  serge,  an  operation  which  she  performed 
joyfully,  herself  throwing  off  her  royal  trappings  eagerly. 

Robed  in  the  dress  of  a  novice,  the  Princess  returned  to  the 
choir,  and,  taking  her  place  at  the  grille,  received  the  girdle, 
scapulary,  cloak  and  veil,  each  blessed  by  the  Nunzio,  from  the 
hands  of  the  Dauphine,  who  could  not  restrain  her  tears  while 
fulfilling  her  office.* 

In  the  Ficrgaiorio  of  Dante  (Canto  IL  46)  that  great  and 
thoughtful  poet  places  '  In  exitu  Israel  diu  Egypto '  in  the 
mouth  of  the  spirits  who  see  the  shores  of  heaven  from  their 
bark  ;  and  a  passage  is  cited  from  one  of  Dante's  prose  writings, 
which  showed  that  he  read  the  Ti4th  Psalm  as  the  voice  of 
thrilling  joy,  fitted  for  the  lips  of  all  who  are  emancipated  from 
the  bondage  of  sin,  and  therefore  especially  those  who,  de- 
livered from  the  bondage  of  the  flesh,  are  passing  into  rest.t 


Longfelloiv — 


'  Upon  the  stern  stood  the  Celestial  Pilot  ! 
Beatitude  seemed  written  in  his  face  ! 
And  more  than  a  hundred  spirits  sat  within. 


*  Madame  Loicise  de  France,  p.  102. 

f   The  Witness  of  the  Psabns  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  178. 


PSALM  CXIV.  451 

^  "  /ji  exitii  Israel — out  of  Egypt  !" 
Thus  sang  they  all  together  in  one  voice, 
With  whatso  in  that  Psalm  is  after  written. 

*  Then  made  he  sign  of  holy  rood  upon  them, 
Whereat  all  cast  themselves  upon  the  shore. 
And  he  departed  swiftly  as  he  came.'* 

Tonus  Feregri?ius. — This  Psalm  has  acquired  an  additional 
interest  for  us  as  being  prophetic  of  our  own  exodus,  in  Christ, 
from  the  Egyptian  bondage  of  vSatan.  .  .  .  And  the  Church 
has  marked  these  characteristics  by  singing  this  Psalm  for  at 
least  1,000  years  in  a  special  tone  called  '  Tonus  Peregrinus ' 
or  '  Pilgrim  Tone  ' — the  9th  Gregorian  tone  .  .  .  which  is  as- 
serted by  some  writers  on  Church  music  to  be  derived  from 
the  liturgical  use  of  the  Hebrew  Church. 

Verse  i .  JV/ieji  Israel  ca?fie  out  of  Egypt. — When  the  Prince 
(afterwards  Charles  I.)  returned  home,  he  was  welcomed  with 
a  tempest  of  rejoicing,  and  the  popular  feeling  with  regard  to 
Spain  was  shown  even  in  the  anthem  selected  for  the  thanks- 
giving service  held  in  St.  Paul's  on  the  occasion.  It  was, 
'  When  Israel  came  out  of  Egypt'  On  the  day  when  Bucking- 
ham stood  up  in  the  House,  with  Prince  Charles  by  his  side, 
to  explain  the  reasons  for  breaking  off  the  marriage  contract, 
he  became  for  the  time  the  most  popular  man  in  England.! 

St.  Odiivald,  Abbot,  was  a  Scottish  nobleman,  and  governor 
of  the  province  of  Landon,  who,  renouncing  the  world,  entered 
the  abbey  of  Melrose.  His  joy  upon  this  occasion  he  expressed 
by  singing  these  verses  of  the  Psalmist :  Jn  the  departing  of 
Israel  out  of  Egypt,  etc.,  and  The  snare  is  b7'oken^  and  we  are 
delive?'ed,  etc.  During  the  whole  course  of  his  monastic  life  he 
was  remarkable  for  his  continual  advancement  in  spiritual 
fervour,  and  his  gift  of  tears,  and  constant  prayer.  His  sighs 
after  heaven  were  crowned  with  a  joyful  and  happy  death  in 
698,  ten  years  after  St.  Cuthbert.; 

*   The  Celestial  Pilot. 

t  Life  of  Nicholas  Ferr-ar,  p.  73. 

X  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints,  May  26. 


452  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  7.  Tremble  thou,  earth,  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord. — It 
is  not  surprising  that  the  usual  figure  of  speech,  by  which  the 
chroniclers  express  it  (the  penance  of  Henry  for  Becket's 
murder)  should  be,  '  The  mountains  tre/nbled  at  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  J  The  mountain  of  Canterbury  smoked  before  Him 
who  touches  the  hills,  and  they  smoke. 

The  King  arrived  at  Southampton  on  Monday,  the  8th  of 
July,  IT 74.  From  that  moment  he  began  to  live  on  a  peni- 
tential diet  of  bread  and  water,  and  deferred  all  business  till 
he  had  fulfilled  his  vow.  When  he  reached  the  Cathedral  he 
knelt  at  the  porch  (having  stripped  off  his  ordinary  dress,  and 
walked  through  the  streets  in  the  guise  of  a  penitent  pilgrim, 
barefoot,  and  with  no  other  covering  than  a  woollen  shirt,  and 
a  cloak  thrown  over  it  to  keep  off  the  rain),  then  entered  the 
Church,  and  went  straight  to  the  scene  of  the  murder  in  the 
North  Transept.  Here  he  knelt  again,  and  kissed  the  sacred 
stone  on  which  the  Archbishop  had  fallen.  Then  he  was  con- 
ducted to  the  crypt,  where  he  again  knelt,  and  with  groans  and 
tears  kissed  the  tomb,  and  remained  long  in  prayer.  After  the 
absolution  and  kiss  of  reconciliation,  he  knelt  again  at  the 
tomb,  and  removed  the  rough  cloak  which  he  had  thrown  over 
his  shoulders,  but  still  retained  the  woollen  shirt,  and  received 
five  strokes  from  each  Bishop  and  Abbot  present,  and  three 
from  each  of  the  eighty  monks.  Fully  absolved,  he  resumed 
his  clothes,  but  was  still  left  in  the  crypt,  resting  against  one 
of  the  rude  Norman  pillars,  on  the  bare  ground,  with  bare  feet 
still  unwashed  from  the  muddy  streets,  and  passed  the  whole 
night  fasting.  At  early  Matins  he  rose,  and  went  round  the 
altars  and  shrines  of  the  upper  church,  then  returned  to  the 
tomb  ;  and  finally,  after  hearing  Mass,  drank  of  the  Martyr's 
well,  and  carried  off  one  of  the  usual  phials  of  Canterbury 
pilgrims,  containing  water  mixed  with  the  blood,  and  so  rode 
to  London. 

So  deep  a  humiliation  of  so  great  a  prince  was  unparal- 
leled within  the  memory  of  that  generation.  The  submission  of 
Theodosius  to  Ambrose  ;  of  Louis  the  Debonnairat  Soissons  ; 


PSALM  CXV.  453 

of  Otho  III.  at  Ravenna  ;  of  Edgar  to  Dunstan  ;  of  the 
Emperor  Henry  IV.  to  Gregory  VIIL,  were  only  known  as 
matters  of  history."^ 


PSALM  CXV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Call  to  the  God  of  Israel,  the  Living 
God,  to  rescue  the  honour  of  His  Name. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  is  evidently  one  of  the  later  litur- 
gical Psalms.  It  was  probably  composed  for  the  service  of  the 
Second  Temple,  whilst  yet  the  taunts  of  their  heathen  adver- 
saries were  ringing  in  the  ears  of  the  returned  exiles,  and 
whilst  yet  contempt  for  the  idolatries  which  they  had  witnessed 
in  Babylon  was  fresh  in  their  hearts. 

The  Whole  Psahn. — The  LXX.,  Syriac,  Arabic,  and  Ethiopic 
have  strangely  enough,  and  in  defiance  of  all  probability,  joined 
this  with  the  preceding  Psalm,  and  then  have  restored  the 
balance  by  dividing  Psalm  cxvi.  into  two  parts.  Even  in  some 
Hebrew  MSS.,  Psalms  cxiv.  and  cxv.  are  found  written  as  one 
Psalm.  But  the  very  structure  of  Psalm  cxiv.,  its  beauty,  and 
completeness  in  itself,  are  sufficient  to  make  us  wonder  what 
caprice  could  have  led  to  such  an  arrangement! 

Henry  V.  commanded  this  Psalm  to  be  sung  on  the  field  of 
Agincourt  after  the  victory. 

Erasmus  prayer  '  For  the  Peace  of  the  Church '  cf.  here  : 
'  Miserere  nostri,  Redemptor  noster,  qui  facillime  exoraris ;  non 
quod  nos  misericordia  tua  digni  sumus  ;  sed  hanc  gloriam  no- 
mini  Tuo  dato.  Ne  patiaris  Judasos,  Turcas  reliquosque,  qui 
vel  non  noverunt  Te  vel  glorias  Tua^  invident,  perpetuo  de  nobis 
triumphare  et  dicere  ;  "  Ubi   Deus,  ubi   Redemptor,  ubi  Ser- 

*  Historical  Memorials  of  Canterbury,  by  Dean  Stanley,  p.  122. 
f   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  324. 


454  PSALM-MOSAICS 

vator,  ubi  Sponsus  illorum   est  ?"     Hasc  contumeliosa  verba  et 
convitia  in  Te,  Domine,  redundant.'* 

T/ie  Battle-song  of  Sobieski  and  Christendom  in  1683.! 

And  when  they  had  sung  an  hymn,  they  went  out  i?ito  the 
nicu7it  of  Olives  (St.  Matt.  xxvi.  30). — That  the  hymn  thus 
consecrated  for  evermore  was  the  2nd  part  of  the  Hallel, 
i.e.^  this  Psalm  and  the  three  that  followed,  there  can  be  but 
little  doubt.  I 

Verse  i.  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  Thy  Name 
give  the  praise. — Not  even  David  himself  has  exhibited  more 
fervent  gratitude  to  the  Divine  Author  of  his  victories  than  our 
pious  sovereign,  after  the  defeat  of  the  French  in  the  battle  of 
Agincourt.  Thus,  when  Montjoy,  the  French  herald,  an- 
nounced to  the  King  the  tidings,  '  The  day  is  yours,'  his  first 
exclamation  is  a  No7i  iiobis,  Domine,  in  these  words  : 

'  Praised  be  God,  and  not  our  strength,  for  it  !' 

King  Henry  V.,  Act  IV.,  Sc  vii. 

And  soon  after,  when  the  Enghsh  herald  came  and  delivered 
more  fully  the  particulars  of  the  victory,  more  fully  rose  also 
from  the  royal  lips  the  ascription  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  : 

'  K.  Henry.  O  GOD,  Thy  arm  was  here, 

And  not  to  us,  but  to  Thy  a?-in  alone, 
Ascribe  we  all.     When,  without  stratagem. 
But  in  plain  shock,  and  even  play  of  battle, 
Was  ever  known  so  great  and  little  loss 
On  one  part  and  on  the  other  ?     Take  it,  GoD, 
For  it  is  only  Thine  ! 

Exeter.  'Tis  wonderful  ! 

A'.  Henry.  Come,  go  we  in  procession  to  the  village  : 

And  be  it  death  proclaimed  through  our  Host 
To  boast  of  this,  or  take  that  praise  from  God 
Which  is  His  only.'' 

Ibid.,  Sc.  viii.S 


*  Kay  on  The  Psalms,  p.  369. 
t  Cheyne  on  The  Psahns,  p.  308. 
X  Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  260. 
§  Shakespeare  a77d  the  Bible,  p.  170. 


PSALM  CXV.  455 

Haydn. — On  the  evening  of  a  day  in  the  beginning  of  April, 
1809,  all  the  lovers  of  art  in  Vienna  were  assembled  in  the 
theatre  to  witness  the  performance  of  the  oratorio  of  the 
'Creation.'  The  entertainment  had  been  given  in  honour  of 
the  composer  of  that  noble  work  —  the  illustrious  Haydn. 
Now  that  the  aged  and  honoured  composer  was  present,  pro- 
bably for  the  last  time,  to  hear  it,  an  emotion  too  deep  for 
utterance  seemed  to  pervade  the  vast  audience.  It  seemed  as 
if  every  eye  in  the  assembly  was  fixed  on  the  calm  noble  face 
of  the  venerable  artist ;  as  if  every  heart  beat  with  love  for  him  ; 
as  if  all  feared  to  break  the  spell  of  hushed  and  holy  silence. 
Then  came,  like  a  succession  of  heavenly  melodies,  the  music 
of  the  '  Creation,'  and  the  listeners  were  as  if  transported  to  the 
infancy  of  the  world.  At  the  words,  'Let  there  be  light,  and 
there  was  light,'  when  all  the  instruments  were  united  in  one 
full  burst  of  gorgeous  harmony,  emotion  seemed  to  shake  the 
whole  frame  of  the  aged  man.  His  pale  face  crimsoned  ;  his 
bosom  heaved  convulsively  ;  he  raised  his  eyes,  streaming  with 
tears,  towards  heaven,  and,  lifting  upwards  his  trembling  hands, 
exclaimed — his  voice  audible  in  the  pause  of  the  music— 'W^/ 
u7iio  77ie — not  imfo  me — but  u7ito  Thy  Na77ie  be  all  the  glory ^  O 
Lord: 

Non  nobis  DoJ7ii7ie,  sed  tibi  sit  gloria. — A  part  of  the  Latin 
version  of  this  Psalm  is  frequently  sung  after  grace  at  public 
dinners,  but  why  we  can  hardly  imagine,  except  it  be  for  fear 
that  donors  should  be  proud  of  the  guineas  they  have  promised, 
or  gourmands  should  be  vainglorious  under  the  influence  of 
their  mighty  feeds.* 

Charles  Wesley  quotes  this  verse  in  a  MS.  marginal  note 
attached  to  his  hymn  for  malefactors,  beginning  : 

'  Return'd  unto  Thy  kingdom,  Lord, 

For  good  remember  me, 
And  tell  a  penitent  restored, 
I  soon  shall  be  with  Thee.' 

*  C.  H.  Spurgeon,  Treasury  of  David ^  vol.  v.,  p.  271. 


456 


PSALM-MOSAICS 


'These  prayers  were  answered,  Thursday,  April  28th,  1785, 
on  nineteen  malefactors,  who  all  died  penitent. 

'  "  A'o^  zmto  Jfie,  O  Lord,  not  tinto  Die  .'"  '* 

The  Templar's  Banner. — This  first  verse  was  the  legend  on 
the  Templar's  banner  '  Beauseant.' 

The  Russian  army,  at  their  triumphant  entry  into  Paris,  in 
1814,  wore  a  medal,  on  which  was  inscribed,  ^  Not  unto  tis,  O 
Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  Thy  Name  give  the  praise' 

Verses  4-8.  Their  idols  are  silver  and  gold,  even  the  work  of 
men's  hands.  .  .  .  They  that  make  them  are  like  unto  them,  and 
so  a?'e  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  them. — Theodoret  tells  us 
of  St.  Publia,  the  aged  Abbess  of  a  company  of  nuns  at 
Antioch,  who  used  to  chant,  as  Julian  went  by  in  idolatrous 
procession,  the  Psalm,  '  Their  idols  a?x  silver  and  gold,  eveti  the 
work  of  meiis  hands.  .  .  .  They  that  make  them  ai'e  like  unto  them, 
and  so  are  all  such  as  put  their  trust  in  them.'  And  he  narrates 
how  the  angry  Emperor  caused  his  soldiers  to  buffet  her  till 
she  bled,  unable  as  he  was  to  endure  the  sting  of  the  old 
Hebrew  song.t 

Verse  16.  All  the  whole  heavens  are  the  Lord's  ;  the  earth  hath 
LLe  given  to  the  children  of  men. — It  is  told  of  Nivard,  youngest 
brother  of  St.  Bernard,  that  when  all  the  elder  sons  of  the 
family  had  resolved  to  enter  the  monastic  order,  Guy  de  Fon- 
tanes,  the  senior  amongst  them,  said  to  the  boy,  '  Farewell,  my 
little  brother  Nivard,  you  will  have  all  the  estates  and  lands  to 
yourself;'  and  the  lad  answered,  'What,  you  take  heaven  for 
your  portion,  and  leave  me  only  the  earth  1  The  division  is 
too  unequal.'  Hence  we  are  taught  that  though  the  earth  is 
given  by  God  to  the  children  of  men,  yet  He  has  a  better 
country,  even   heaven,  to  give  to  sucti  as  will  seek  it,  who  are 

*    The  Poetical  Works  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  vol.  viii.,  p.  343. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  245. 


PSALM  CXV.  457 

sons  of  God,  not  mere  children  of  men,  and  who  can  win 
heaven  by  exchanging  earth  for  it,  in  contempt  of  riches  and 
luxury,  of  lands  and  houses,  and  all  things  which  are  not  of 
the  Gospel.* 

Verse  17.  The  dead  praise  not  Thee,  O  Lord. — Solomon  was 
wiser  than  all  other  men,  wiser  even  than  Adam,  who  gave 
names  to  all  the  animals  of  the  world,  and  even  to  himself, 
saying :  '  From  the  dust  of  the  ground  I  was  formed,  and 
therefore  shall  my  name  be  Adam.'  Rabbi  Tanchum  said  : 
'  Where  is  thy  wisdom  and  thy  understanding,  O  King  Solo- 
mon ?  Thy  words  not  only  contradict  themselves,  but  also  the 
words  of  David,  thy  father.  He  said,  ^^  Not  the  dead  ca?i 
praise  the  Lord''  (Ps.  cxv.  17),  and  thou  didst  say,  "There- 
upon praised  I  the  dead  that  are  already  dead,  more  than  the 
living  who  are  still  alive"  (Eccles.  iv.  2) ;  and  thou  didst  also 
say,  ^'  For  a  living  dog  fareth  better  than  a  dead  Hon  "  '  {Lbid. 
ix.  4). 

These  seeming  contradictions,  however,  may  be  readily  ex- 
plained. David  said,  'Not  the  dead  can  praise  the  Lord,' 
meaning  that  we  should  study  God's  law  during  life,  as  after 
its  cessation  'twould  be  impossible.  Solomon  said,  '  There- 
upon praised  I  the  dead  that  are  already  dead.' 

When  the  children  of  Israel  sinned  in  the  wilderness,  Moses 
prayed  for  them  for  their  own  sakes,  and  his  prayer  was  un- 
answered ;  but  when  he  said,  '  Remember  Abraham  and  Isaac 
and  Israel,  Thy  servants,'  he  met  with  a  prompt  reply.  There- 
fore did  not  Solomon  speak  well  in  saying,  '  Praise  the  dead 
that  are  already  dead  '  ?  Take  another  instance.  A  king  may 
decree  laws,  but  many  of  his  subjects  may  disregard  them. 
Sometimes  these  laws,  even  if  earnestly  observed  during  the 
life  of  the  one  who  made  them,  may  be  repealed  or  become 
obsolete  after  his  death.  Moses,  however,  made  many  strin- 
gent laws,  which  have  been  observed  throughout  all  genera- 
tions. Therefore  Solomon  said  well,  '  Thereupon  will  I  praise 
the  dead.' 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  495. 


458  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Rabbi  Judah,  in  the  name  of  Rab,  further  explained  this 
verse.  He  said,  'What  is  the  meaning  of  the  following  pas- 
sage?— "Show  me  a  token  for  good,  that  the}^  who  hate  me 
may  see  it,  and  be  ashamed'"  (Ps.  Ixxvi,  17).  David  said  to 
God,  after  his  sin  with  Bathsheba  (2  Sam.  xii.),  '  Sovereign  of  the 
universe,  pardon  me  for  my  sin.'  The  Lord  answered,  '  I  will 
pardon  thee.'  Thien  said  David,  'Show  me  the  token  in  my 
lifetime  '  ;  but  God  said,  '  Not  in  thy  lifetime,  but  in  the  life- 
time of  Solomon,  thy  son,  will  I  show  it.'  Thus,  when  Solo- 
mon dedicated  the  temple,  though  he  prayed  with  fervent 
devotion,  he  was  not  answered  until  he  said,  '  O  Lord  God, 
turn  not  away  from  the  face  of  Thy  anointed.  Remember  the 
pious  deeds  of  David,  Thy  servant'  (2  Chron.  vi.  42).  Then 
he  was  speedily  answered,  for  in  the  next  verse  we  read,  '  And 
when  Solomon  had  made  an  end  of  praying,  a  fire  came  down 
from  heaven  and  consumed  the  burnt  offering,  and  the  sacri- 
fices, and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house.'  Then  were 
the  enemies  of  David  put  to  shame,  for  all  Israel  knew  that 
God  had  pardoned  David  for  his  sin.  Did  not  Solomon  say 
well  then,  '  Thereupon  praised  I  the  dead  '  ?  For  this  reason, 
further  on  in  the  chapter  we  read,  'And  on  the  three-and- 
twentieth  day  of  the  seventh  month  he  dismissed  the  people 
unto  their  huts,  joyful  and  glad  of  heart,  because  of  the  good 
that  the  Lord  had  done  for  David,  and  for  Solomon,  and  for 
Israel  His  people.'  Solomon  said,  '  For  a  living  dog  fareth 
better  than  a  dead  lion.'  Expounding  this  verse,  Rabbi  Judah 
said,  in  the  name  of  Rab,  '  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  verse, 
"  Let  me  know,  O  Lord,  my  end,  and  the  measure  of  my 
days,  what  it  is ;  I  wish  to  know  when  I  shall  cease  to  be  "  ? 
(Ps.  xxxix.  5).  David  said  to  God  :  '  Let  me  know,  O  Lord, 
my  end ' ;  God  answered,  '  I  have  decreed  that  for  each  one 
his  end  must  be  veiled  in  the  future.'  Then  David  said, 
'  What  is  the  measure  of  my  days?'  Again  God  replied,  'No 
man  may  know  the  measure  of  his  days.'  '  I  wish  to  know 
when  I  shall  cease  to  be,'  continued  David ;  and  God  answered, 
'Thou  wilt  die  on  a  Sabbath.'     '  Let  me  die  the  day  after,'  en- 


PSALM  CXVI.  459 

treated  David  ;  but  the  Lord  answered,  *  No  ;  then  the  king- 
dom will  be  Solomon's,  and  one  reign  may  not  take  away  from 
another  reign  even  so  much  as  a  hair's  breadth.'  '  Then  let 
me  die  the  day  before,'  exclaimed  David,  '  for  a  day  in  Thy 
courts  is  better  than  a  thousand  elsewhere '  And  God  said, 
'  One  day  spent  by  thee  in  studying  My  law  is  more  acceptable 
than  the  thousand  burnt-offerings  thy  son  Solomon  will  sacri- 
fice.' It  was  David's  custom  to  pass  every  Sabbath  in  the 
study  of  the  Bible  and  its  precepts,  and  he  was  thus  engaged 
upon  the  Sabbath  which  was  to  be  his  last.  At  the  back  of 
the  King's  palace  there  was  an  orchard,  and  David,  hearing  a 
noise  therein,  walked  thither  to  ascertain  its  cause.  On  entering 
the  orchard,  he  fell  to  the  ground,  dead.  The  noise  in  the  orchard 
had  been  caused  by  the  barking  of  the  King's  dogs,  who  had  not 
that  day  received  their  food.  Solomon  sent  a  message  to  the 
Rabbinical  College,  saying,  '  My  father  hes  dead  in  the  orchard ; 
is  it  allowable  to  remove  his  body  on  the  Sabbath  ?  The  dogs 
of  my  father  are  entreating  for  their  food ;  is  it  proper  to  cut 
meat  for  them  to-day?'  This  answer  was  returned  by  the 
College :  '  Thy  father's  body  should  not  be  removed  to-day ; 
but  give  meat  to  the  dogs.'  Therefore  said  Solomon,  '  A  living 
dog  fareth  better  than  a  dead  lion,'  justly  comparing  the  son 
of  Jesse  to  that  king  of  beasts.''' 


PSALM  CXVL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Thanksgiving  song  of  one  who  has 
escaped  from  death. 

Contents  (Syriac). — The  progressive  advancement  of  a  new 
people  turning  to  Christian  worship,  like  a  child  to  understand- 
ing. In  its  literal  sense  containing  an  allusion  to  the  fact  that 
Saul  came  and  sat  at  the  door  of  the  cave  in  which  David  and 
his  men  were  concealed. 

*   The  Talmud,  pp.  197-200. 


46o  PSALM -MOSAICS 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  Psalm  is  evidence  of  the  truth  and 
depth  of  the  rehgious  hfe  in  individuals  after  the  return  from 
the  Exile ;  for  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  must  be  assigned 
to  that  period. 

Ill  Church. — At  the  Holy  Eucharist,  in  the  Roman  Church, 
the  words  of  Psalm  cxvi.  1 2  are  said  by  the  Priest  as  he  com- 
municates himself  with  the  chalice. 

In  the  Holy  Eastern  Church,  too,  at  the  Burial  of  Priests. 
Prokeimenon  of  the  Epistle. 

Office  for  the  Churching  of  Women. — This  Psalm  has  two 
aspects — the  original  and  personal,  and  the  secondary  or  litur- 
gical. In  the  festal  Hallel  it  was,  of  course,  used  in  the  latter 
sense,  although  it  clearly  must  have  been  written  as  an  over- 
flowing of  individual  gratitude  upon  recovery  from  a  dangerous 
illness.  In  our  own  Church  the  same  double  use  is  retained, 
its  latter  character  being  alone  thought  of  in  the  Thanksgiving 
of  Women  after  Childbirth,  and  its  former  in  ordinary  Public 
Worship.* 

The  Apostolical  Constitutions  recommend  this  (among  other 
passages  from  the  Psalms)  for  use  at  the  funerals  of  the  faith- 
ful.! 

The  Whole  Psalm. — The  11 6th  Psalm  has  furnished  the 
Church  with  a  great  Eucharistic  motto  : 

'  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord 
For  all  His  benefits  towards  me  ? 
I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation, 
And  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.'i 

There  is  ^Jeivish  tradition  that  this  Psalm  was  a  thanks- 
giving of  Hezekiah  after  his  recovery  from  sickness,  and  there 
are  so  many  parallelisms  of  language  between  it  and  the  story 
of  that  event,  as  recorded  by  Isaiah,  that  no  reasonable  doubt 

*  Housman  on  The  Fsal//is,  p.  262. 

+   Kay  on  The  Psalms,  p.  374. 

X   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  219. 


PSALM  CXVI.  461 

remains  that  the  Psahii  is  directly  based  on  the  Prophet's  nar- 
rative.* 

Di\  Chey?ie  says,  '  See  Keble's  lovely  version.'  Here  are  the 
lines  on  the  first  two  verses  : 

'  How  dear  to  me  the  bliss, 

That  God  my  voice  should  hear  ! 
I  ask'd  Him  not  amiss, 

For  He  hath  bow'd  His  ear, 
And  I  have  sworn  through  all  my  days 
To  seek  His  aid  and  sing  His  praise.' 

Verse  9.  /  ivill  walk  before  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living. 
■  — St.  Frederic  was  chosen  eighth  Bishop  of  Utrecht  in  the  year 
820.  He  incurred  the  hatred  of  Judith,  wife  of  the  Emperor 
Lewis,  the  Debonnaire,  because  he  boldly  rebuked  her  for  her 
immoralities.  '  Whilst  this  holy  pastor  was  intent  only  upon 
the  duties  of  his  charge,  one  day  when  he  came  from  the  altar, 
having  said  Mass,  as  he  was  going  to  kneel  down  in  the  chapel 
of  St.  John  Baptist  to  perform  his  thanksgiving  and  other 
private  devotions,  he  was  stabbed  in  the  bowels  by  two  assas- 
sins. He  expired  in  a  few  minutes,  reciting  that  verse  of  the 
1 1 6th  Psalm  :  I  will  please  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living.' 
The  author  of  his  life  says  these  assassins  were  employed  by 
the  Empress  Judith,  who  could  not  pardon  the  liberty  he  had 
taken  to  reprove  her  incest,  f 

Verse  12.  What  shall  L  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  LLis 
benefits  toward  me  ?  (Bible  version). — Quid  retribeam  Domino 
pro  omnibus  qu^e  retribuit  mihi  ?  This  question  is  asked  in 
the  Psalmist's  words  by  an  eminent  Bishop  of  Durham  more 
than  five  centuries  ago,  Richard  of  Bury  {c.  1200  a.d.),  the 
most  learned  man  of  his  country  and  age.  The  answer,  as 
might  be  expected,  is  a  scholar's  answer.  He  had  asked  him- 
self again  and  again,  he  writes,  what  pious  service  would  best 
please  the  most  High  God,  and  confer  the  greatest  benefit  on 
the  Church   Militant ;  and   lo,  a   troop  of  poor  scholars  pre- 

"'■   Dr.  Neale's  Commentaiy,  vol.  iii.,  p.  498. 
t  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints  (July  3). 


462  PSALM-MOSAICS 

sented  themselves  to  the  eye  of  his  mind.  These  were  they 
who  might  have  grown  up  into  strong  pillars  of  the  Church  ; 
but  though  thirsting  for  knowledge  after  the  first  taste,  and  apt 
students  of  the  liberal  arts,  yet,  for  the  sake  of  a  livelihood, 
they  were  forced,  by  a  sort  of  apostasy,  to  return  to  mechanic 
pursuits,  to  the  great  loss  of  the  Church  and  to  the  degradation 
of  the  whole  clergy.  So,  he  adds,  his  compassionate  affection 
took  the  special  form  of  providing  poor  scholars,  not  only  with 
the  exigencies  of  life,  but  also  with  a  supply  of  useful  books. 

Richard  of  Bury  '  was  a  man,'  writes  Petrarch,  '  of  fervid 
genius.'  In  an  age  when  books  were  scarce,  his  rooms  were 
strewn  with  books.  His  rich  library  he  left  to  Durham  College, 
Oxford,  for  the  use  of  the  University  at  large.  This  was  the 
first  beginning  of  a  University  or  College  Library  in  England 
on  any  considerable  scale — the  true  progenitor  of  the  Bodleian. 
When  Bishop  Richard's  soul  migrated  hence,  his  four  seals,  we 
are  told,  were  delivered  to  the  Chapter  and  broken  up ;  and 
from  the  precious  metal  thus  obtained  was  fashioned  a  chalice 
for  the  sanctuary  of  Durham  Cathedral.^'' 

/  will  receive  the  cup  of  salvation^  and  call  upon  the  Name 
of  the  Lord. — Typical  emblem  of  that  Eucharistical  'cup  of 
blessing '  in  which  the  faithful  communicant  is  admitted  to  the 
nearest  intimacy  with  God  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper. 

The  Church  of  England,  in  appointing  this  Psalm  as  a 
Thanksgiving  for  Women  after  Childbirth,  has  taught  us  to 
make  this  spiritual  application,  by  exhorting  the  woman  to 
show  her  thankfulness  by  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Com- 
munion.! 

Verse  13.  /  will  pay  my  vows  7iow  in  the  presence  of  all 
His  people  ;  right  dear  ifi  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of 
His  saints. — As  St.   Babylas  of  Antioch  was   on  his  w^ay   to 

*  Bishop  \a^\.{oo\!%  Sermon  preached  before  the  University  of  Durham, 
1892. 
t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  183. 


PSALM  CXVI.  463 

martyrdom  under  Decius,  he  recited :  '  /  wi/l  pay  my  vows 
no7v  hi  the  prese7ice  of  all  His  people ;  right  dear  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord  is  the  death  of  His  saints.  Turn  again  then  unto  thy 
rest,  O  my  soul.''*' 

Verse  13.  Dear  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  His 
saints. — '  About  this  time  the  good  Mere  Anne  de  St.  Alexis 
was  taken  to  her  rest.  Madame  Louise  (de  France,  Reverende 
Mere  Terese  de  St.  Augustin)  had  a  special  affection  for  this 
nun,  who  had  watched  over  her  beginnings  in  the  religious 
life,  and  whose  experience  of  personal  holiness  (she  had  been 
Superioress  during  two  years  at  different  times)  made  her  ad- 
vice very  useful  to  the  Royal  pupil.  The  venerable  Mother 
was  seized  with  apoplexy  while  saying  the  office  in  choir  at  the 
moment  that  the  words,  ^^  Dear  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the 
death  of  His  saints''  were  being  repeated.'! 

Verse  15.  L  iv ill  offer  to  Thee  the  sacrifice  of  thanksgivings  a?id 
will  call  upon  the  Name  of  the  Lord. — This  is,  in  the  literal 
sense,  a  promise  to  make  the  Levitical  thankoffering  of  fine 
flour,  which  answers  to  the  festival  Cup  named  earlier  in  the 
Psalm,  and  represents  for  us  the  remaining  species  of  the 
Eucharistic  Oblations;  whence  this  Psalm,  from  verse  10  to 
the  end,  is  one  of  those  appointed  to  be  recited  by  Priests  of 
the  Western  Church  before  saying  Mass.:}: 

Verse  16.  L  ivill pay  my  vows  unto  the  Lord. — Foxe,  in  his 
Acts  and  Mo?iu?nents,  relates  the  following  concerning  the 
martyr  John  Philpot :  He  went  with  the  sheriffs  to  the  place 
of  execution,  and  when  he  was  entering  into  Smithfield  the  way 
was  foul,  and  two  officers  took  him  up  to  bear  him  to  the  stake, 
and  then  he  said  merrily,  '  What,  will  ye  make  me  a  pope  ?  I 
am  content  to  go  to  my  journey's  end  on  foot.'  But  first 
coming  into  Smithfield,  he  kneeled  down  there,  saying  these 
words,  '  I  will  pay  my  vows  in  thee,  O  Smithfield.' 

*  Delitzsch's  Cof?i»ientary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  219. 

t  Madame  Louise  de  France,  p.  231. 

+  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  iii.,  p.  509. 


464  PSALM-MOSAICS 


PSALM  CXVIL 

Headijig  (Delitzsch). — Invitation  to  the  people  to  come  into 
the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Anonymous ;  spoken  of  the  company 
of  Ananias  when  they  came  out  of  the  furnace ;  and  predict- 
ing the  call  of  the  Gentiles  by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  short  Psalm  may  have  been  a 
doxology  intended  to  be  sung  after  other  Psalms,  or  perhaps 
at  the  beginning  or  end  of  the  Temple  service. 

In  Church. — Psalm  cxvii.  occurs  daily  in  the  Greek  Evening 
Service."^ 

The  Whole  Psalm. — It  may  be  worth  noting  that  this  is  at 
once  the  shortest  chapter  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  central 
portion  of  the  whole  Bible. f 

Elias  Hutter.^  a  learned  Protestant  Divine  of  Nuremburg, 
published  in  1589  the  117th  Psalm  in  thirty  different  lan- 
guages.:; 

Cromivell  and  his  soldiers  sung  this  Psalm  after  the  battle 
of  Dunbar.§ 

JMicholas  Ferrar,  junior,  the  godson  of  saintly  Nicholas 
Ferrar,  and  also  his  nephew,  was  wonderful  in  his  knowledge 
of  languages.  'Among  the  papers  found  in  his  study  after 
his  premature  death  is  a  scheme  for  translating  the  New  Testa- 
ment into  fifty  languages,  and  underneath  the  list  of  these 
languages  he  had  written,  "  This,  by  the  help  of  God,  I  intend 
to  effect,  and  also  to  translate  the  Church  Catechism  into  these 
languages,  so  likewise  the  iiyth  Fsalni,  ^Praise  the  Lord.,  all 

*  Interleaved  Prayer- Book.,  p.  301. 

f  C.  H.  Spurgeon,  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  v.,  p.  316. 

X   Holland's  Psalmists  of  Britain,  p.  24. 

^  Hood's  Life,  p.  234. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  465 

ye  heathe?i:  praise  Bim,  all  ye  nations;  and  present  them  to 
the  King,  that  he  may  print  them  and  send  them  to  all  nations." 
The  amount  of  work  of  this  kind  which  he  actually  executed 
is  truly  astonishing. 

'On  the  Tuesday  before  Whit  Sunday,  May  19,  1640,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  Nicholas  Ferrar  the  younger  was  taken 
away  from  the  evil  to  come.'* 


PSALM  CXVIII. 

Beading  (Delitzsch).— Festival  Psalm  at  the  Dedication  of 
the  New  Temple. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Anonymous  ;  in  its  literal  sense  referring 
to  Asaph  the  Recorder,  and  to  the  Priests  that  minister  unto 
the  Lord  ;  and  alluding  prophetically  to  the  victorious  agonists, 
and  to  the  Messiah. 

Origin  (Perowne).— It  is  evident  that  this  Psalm  was 
designed  to  be  sung  in  the  Temple  worship,  and  was  com- 
posed for  some  festal  occasion.  .  .  .  The  allusions  in  the  latter 
part,  and  especially  verse  24,  '  This  is  the  day  which  Jehovah 
hath  made,'  etc.,  point  to  some  great  festival  as  the  occasion 
for  which  it  was  written.  Its  general  character,  and  the  many 
passages  in  it  borrowed  from  earlier  writers,  render  it  probable 
that  it  is  one  of  the  later  Psalms,  and  we  may  assume  that  it 
was  composed  after  the  return  from  the  Captivity. 

In  Church. — In  the  Roman  Church  at  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
'  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord,'  Ps. 
cxviii.  26,  after  the  Sanctus.  The  whole  Psalm  also  in  the 
Office  for  the  Dying. 

In  the  Orthodox  Eastern  Church — Liturgy  of  St.  Chrysostom, 
Holy  Eucharist.     During  the  Trisagion  the  Priest,  as  he  goes 

*  Life  of  Nicholas  Ferrar,  p.  279. 

30 


466  PSALM-MOSAICS 

towards  the  Altar,  recites,  '  Blessed  .  .   .  cometh  in  the  Name 
of  the  Lord,'  Ps.  cxviii.  26. 

This  Psalm  is  used  in  solemn  official  moleben  (or  thanks- 
giving service)  for  the  Emperor  and  the  members  of  the 
Imperial  Family.* 

Easter  Day. — '  The  special  teaching  of  this  Psalm,  when 
sung  on  Easter  Day,  centres  in  and  radiates  from  verse  22,  and 
it  throws  a  still  greater  halo  of  sanctity  around  its  words  to 
remember  them  as  having  been  sung  by  the  Chief  Cornerstone 
Himself,  on  the  very  eve  of  His  rejection,  by  the  Great 
Sacrifice  within  a  few  hours  of  His  being  bound  with  cords  to 
the  altar  of  the  cross.  Well  may  we  on  the  Day  of  Resurrec- 
tion, in  full  view  of  all  benefits  which  His  Agony  and  Death 
brought  us,  sing,  '  Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will  thank  Thee ; 
Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will  praise  Thee.'f 

That  this  Psalm  is  a  prophecy  of  that  triumphal  entry  on 
the  Sunday  before  the  Passion,  we  know  from  our  Blessed 
Lord's  authority  (see  verse  22,  compared  with  St.  Matthew 
xxi.  22) ;  and  that  it  stretches  forth  in  its  Divine  significance  to 
the  following  first  day  of  the  week,  namely,  to  the  Day  of  the 
Lord's  Resurrection,  thenceforward  to  be  called  'The  Lord's 
Day,'  is  evident  from  verses  22,  24,  27,  and  the  Western 
Church  has  confirmed  this  opinion,  by  appointing  this  Psalm 
to  be  used  on  the  weekly  Festival  of  the  Lord's  Resurrection. 
The  Church  of  England  fitly  uses  it  on  Easter  Day.t 

The  Whole  Psalm. — ^Their  armies  (that  of  Henri  of  Navarre, 
the  Huguenots,  and  that  of  the  Duke  of  Joyeuse)  in  1588  lay 
in  sight  of  one  another  all  night.  At  dawn  Henri  put  his 
men  in  array;  but  just  then  one  of  the  pastors,  backed  by  the 
able  statesman  Duplessis  Mornay,  came  to  him  to  reproach 
him  with  one  of  his  frequent  immoralities,  assuring  him  that 
he  could  expect  no  blessing  on  his  arms,  unless  he  showed 

*  Sketches  of  the  Graco- Russian  Church,  p.  271. 
t  Housman  on  The  Psahns,  p.  270. 
+  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Co?n/>ientary. 


I  PSALM  CXVIII.  467 

penitence.  Henri  complied,  and  went  through  the  prescribed 
penance.  Unhappily,  it  is  only  too  certain  that  he  did  not 
repent,  or  only  for  the  moment,  and  that  his  compliance  was 
simply  an  act  of  expediency  to  obtain  the  enthusiastic  support 
of  the  Huguenots.  On  them  it  produced  full  effect.  They 
knelt  in  prayer,  and  then  thundered  forth  the  11 8th  Psalm; 
then  Maximilian  de  Rosny,  Henri's  most  faithful  friend,  so 
directed  his  three  cannon  that  in  each  of  seven  discharges 
they  swept  away  from  twenty  to  thirty  men  ;  while  Joyeuse's 
artillery,  though  far  more  numerous,  were  so  placed  that  the 
balls  went  harmlessly  into  a  bank  without  damaging  the 
Hu,o^uenots.  The  latter  gained  the  victory,  the  first  battle  the 
Reformed  had  ever  won."^ 

Luther  wrote  on  his  study  wall,  'The  11 8th  Psalm  is  m,y 
Psalm  which  I  love.  Without  it,  neither  emperor  nor  king, 
though  wise  and  prudent,  nor  saints,  could  have  helped  me.'t 

This  Psalm  was  sung  by  the  troops  of  William,  Prince  of 
Orange,  immediately  after  their  landing  at  Torbay.  William 
Carstairs  accompanied  the  Prince  in  his  eventful  voyage  to 
England,  and  was  the  first,  Scotsman  and  Presbyterian  as  he 
was.  to  call  down  the  blessing  of  heaven  on  the  expedition  by 
the  religious  service  which  he  celebrated  immediately  on  his 
landing  at  Torbay,  after  which  the  troops  all  along  the  beach, 
at  his  instance,  joined  in  the  ii8th  Psalm.  From  that  time  he 
was  William's  companion  on  every  field  of  battle,  his  most 
trusted  adviser  in  all  that  related  to  the  affairs  of  Scotland. 
Cardinal  Carstairs  was  the  name  by  which  he  was  usually 
known,  alluding  to  the  sayings  of  Cardinal  Ximenes,  that  he 
could  play  at  football  with  the  heads  of  the  Castilian  grandees.. t 

Charles  V. — In  those  days  when  it  was  the  custom  for  kings 
and  courtiers  to  choose  for  themselves  special  Psalms,  this  was 

*   Cameos  from  English  History,  No.  clxxviii. 

t  Tholuck. 

X  History  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  by  Dean  Stanley,  p.  117, 


468  PSALM-MOSAICS 

the  selected  of  Charles  V.  The  biographer  of  Clement  Marot 
tells  that,  in  1540,  he  presented  to  that  emperor,  as  he  was 
passing  through  France,  a  copy  of  his  Psalter  as  far  as  it  had 
been  carried. 

The  emperor  accepted  it  benignly,  gave  the  poet  200 
doubloons,  and  asked  him  to  complete  his  translation,  praying 
him  especially  to  send  him,  as  soon  as  he  could,  the  translation 
of  the  II  8th,  Co7ijiteini7ii  Doviino  quoniaiti  boniis^  as  he  loved 
it  much. 

It  took  rank  along  with  the  68th  Psalm  as  the  battle-song  of 
the  Huguenots,  and  in  the  fields  and  woods  the  24th  verse  was 
the  frequent  opening  of  their  worship  : 

'  La  voici  I'heureuse  journee 

Que  Dieu  a  faite  a  plein  desir ; 
Par  nous  soit  joie  demence. 
Et  preuons  en  elle  plaisir.'* 

Coiiwiendation  of  Departing  Soul. — In  all  the  mediaeval  offices 
for  the  commendation  of  a  departing  spirit,  it  is  always  ordered 
that,  when  the  other  prayers  have  been  said,  if  the  soul  be  yet 
waiting,  the  it 8th  and  119th  Psalms  should  be  added.  What, 
the  1 1 8th  Psalm!  One  of  the  most  jubilant  in  the  Psalter! 
One  beyond  which  no  thanksgiving  can  go  !  One  that  might 
suit  some  signal  triumph,  some  glorious  victory !  Why?  Because 
the  poor  soul  is  being  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption 
unto  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  GoD.t 

Martin  Luther. — In  the  midsummer  of  1530,  when  Alelanc- 
thon  was  deputed  to  present  the  Confession  of  the  Protestant 
Churches  of  Germany  to  the  Diet  at  Augsburg,  Luther  was 
advised  to  abstain  from  any  public  appearance.  Looking  out 
from  his  retirement  on  the  perils  of  the  time,  '  The  sea  and 
the  waves  roaring,  and  men's  hearts  failing  them  from  fear,'  he 
found  in  the  118th  Psalm  a  word  in  season,  and  set  his  pen 
to  work   on  an  exposition  of  it.     In  the   dedication,  which  is 

*    The  Psabjis  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  139. 
+  Dr.  Neale's  Sermons  on  i/ie  Psalms^  p.  255. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  469 

dated  '  ex  eremo,  the  first  of  July  mdxxx,'  he  gives  a  charac- 
teristic expression  to  his  love  for  this  portion  of  the  Divine 
word  :  '  Since  I  am  obliged  to  sit  here  idle  in  the  desert,  and, 
moreover,  must  sometimes  spare  my  head,  and  give  it  a  rest 
and  holiday  from  my  great  task  of  translating  all  the  Prophets, 
I  have  gone  back  to  my  mine  of  wealth,  my  treasure.  I  have 
taken  in  hand  my  precious  Psalm,  the  Confitemini,  and  put 
on  paper  my  meditation  upon  it.  For  it  is  my  Psalm  that  I 
delight  in.  For  although  the  whole  Psalter  and  the  Holy 
Scripture  are  dear  to  me,  my  proper  comfort  in  life,  I  have 
taken  so  to  this  Psalm  in  particular  that  I  must  call  it  my 
own.  Many  a  service  has  it  done  me  ;  out  of  many  great 
perils  has  it  helped  me,  when  help  I  had  none,  either  from 
emperor  or  king,  or  wise  or  prudent.  I  would  not  give  it  in 
exchange  for  the  honour,  wealth,  or  power  of  all  the  world, 
Pope,  Turk,  and  Emperor.  In  calling  this  Psalm  mine  own, 
I  rob  no  man  of  it.  Christ  is  mine ;  nevertheless,  He  is  the 
same  Christ  to  all  the  saints  that  He  is  to  me.  Would  God 
that  all  the  world  would  challenge  the  Psalm  for  their  own  as 
I  do  ;  it  would  be  such  friendly  contention  as  scarce  any  unity 
or  love  would  compare  with.  Alas,  that  there  should  be  sc 
few,  even  among  those  who  might  well  do  it,  who  will  once 
say  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  or  to  the  same  particular  Psalm, 
Thou  art  my  book ;  thou  shalt  be  mine  own  Psalm  !'* 

Verses  8,  9.  //  is  bettei'  to  trust  in  the  Lord  tJiaii  to  put  any 
confidence  in  man.  It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord  than  to  put 
any  confidoice  in  princes.  —  Compare  these  lines  from  an  oracle 
said  to  have  been  given  to  Esarhaddon  (Budge,  History  of 
Esarhaddon,  pp.  3,  4) :  '  Upon  mankind  trust  not,  (but)  bend 
thine  eyes  upon  me — trust  to  me ;  for  I  am  Istar  of  Arbela  ;' 
and  these  from  an  Egyptian  hymn  to  Amen  the  sun-god 
{Records  of  the  Fast,  vi.  99) : 


*  Luther's  Saemtliche  Schriften  (Watch's  edition),  vol.  v.,  p.  1704. 


470  PSALM.MOSAICS 

'  Let  no  prince  he  my  defender  in  all  my  troubles  : 
Let  not  my  memorial  be  placed  under  the  power 
Of  any  man  who  is  in  the  house  .   .  .  my  Lord  is  [my]  defender.'* 

Verse  lo.  A//  na/ions  compassed  me  round  about ^  but  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  will  I  destroy  them. — St.  Bernard  when  seized 
with  a  most  dangerous  iUness,  in  which  he  was  quite,  and  for 
a  long  time  together,  given  over,  was  haunted  by  the  fear  that, 
in  the  multitude  of  spirits  continually  passing  from  this  to  the 
next  world,  his  soul  might  be  overlooked,  and  thus  lost  from 
the  Presence  of  God.  He  fled  for  refuge  to  that  verse  of 
the  Psalm,  All  nations  compassed  me  round  about,  but  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  will  L  destroy  the?n.\ 

Verse  12.  They  came  about  me  like  bees.,  and  are  extinct  even 
as  the  fire  among  the  thorns  ;  fori?!  the  Name  of  the  Lord  L  will 
destroy  them. — In  Ha7nlet,  Polonius  warns  Ophelia  not  to  trust 
too  readily  to  the  advances  of  the  young  prince^  however 
accompanied  with  protestations  of  affection  : 

'  These  blazes,  daughter, 
Giving  more  light  than  heat — extinct  in  both, 
Even  in  their  promise,  as  it  is  a-making, — 
You  must  not  take  for  fire.'' 

Act  L,  Sc.  iii. 

And  again  in  the  First  Fai-t  of  King  Henry  IV.,  the  same 
image  occurs  to  describe  the  companions  of  the  sovereign 
whom  Henry  had  supplanted  : 

'The  skipping  king,  he  ambled  up  and  down 
With  shallow  jesters  and  rash  bavin  wits, 
Soon  kindled  and  sooji  hirnt. ' 

Act  IIL,  Sc.  ii. 

'  Bavin '  means  brushwood.  In  like  manner  David,  in  Psalm 
cxviii.  1 2,  says  of  his  enemies  :  '  They  are  extinct,  even  as  the 
fire  among  the  thorns ;  for  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  I  will 
destroy  them.'l 

Whitfield  was  born   in   1714  at  Gloucester.     He  was  of  a 

*   77/tf  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Rev.  T.  K.  Cheyne,  p.  315. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Sermons  on  the  Psalms,  p.  271. 
X  ■Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  328. 


PSALM  CXVIII. 


471 


veritable  irritable  temper,  and  at  times  when  the  tricks  of  his 
school-fellows  annoyed  him  beyond  endurance,  he  is  said  to 
have  declared  that  '  T/iey  compass  vie  about  like  bees  ;  but  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  will  I  destroy  the?n.' 

Chanting  verse  12  of  Psalm  cxviii.  with  voice  that  rose 
high  above  the  din  of  battle,  the  Protestant  army  rushed  to 
victory  at  Coutras."^ 

Verse  13.  Thou  hast  thrust  sore  at  me,  that  I  might  fall. — 
Thou  hast  indeed.  Thou  hast  done  thy  part,  O  Satan,  and  it 
has  been  well  done.  Thou  hast  known  my  weakest  parts, 
thou  hast  seen  where  my  armour  was  not  buckled  in  tightly, 
and  thou  hast  attacked  me  at  the  right  time  and  in  the  right 
way.  The  great  Spanish  poet  Calderon  tells  of  one  who  wore 
a  heavy  suit  of  armour  for  a  whole  year,  and  laid  it  by  for  one 
hour.  In  that  hour  the  enemy  came,  and  the  man  paid  for 
his  negligence  with  his  l:fe.  '  Blessed  is  the  man  that  endureth 
temptation,  for  when  he  is  tried  he  shall  receive  the  crown  of 
life  which  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  Him.'f 

Ferse  17.  I  shall  not  die^  but  live. — In  Bishop  Hannington's 
diary  is  the  following  entry  ;  he  was  very  ill  with  dysentery  at 
the  time  :  '  October  6th.  Slightly  better,  but  still  in  very  great 
pain.  To  our  immense  surprise  Stokes  turned  up  early  this 
morning.  When  I  heard  his  voice,  I  exclaimed,  ^^  I  shall  live^ 
and  not  die. '"  It  inspired  me  with  new  life.  I  felt  that  they 
had  returned  that  I  might  go  with  them.'j 

Wycliffe  was  now  getting  old,  but  the  Reformer  was  worn 
out  rather  by  the  harassing  attacks  of  his  foes  and  his 
incessant  and  evergrowing  labours  than  with  the  weight  of 
years,  for  he  was  not  yet  sixty.  He  fell  sick.  With  un- 
bounded joy  the  friars  heard  that  their  great  enemy  was  dying. 
Of  course  he  was  overwhelmed  with   horror  and   remorse  for 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  i.,  p.  38. 

+  John  Mason  Neale. 

X  Life  of  Bishop  Hanningiofi,  p.  233. 


472  PSALM-MOSAICS 

the  evil  he  had  done  them,  and  they  would  hasten  to  his  bed- 
side and  receive  the  expressions  of  his  penitence  and  sorrow. 

In  a  trice  a  little  crowd  of  shaven  crowns  assembled  round 
the  couch  of  the  sick  man,  delegates  from  the  four  orders  of 
friars  !  They  began  fair  with  him,  '  health  and  restoration 
from  his  distemper' ;  but  speedily  changing  their  tone,  they 
exhorted  him,  as  one  on  the  brink  of  the  grave,  to  make  full 
confession,  and  express  his  unfeigned  grief  for  the  injuries  he 
had  inflicted  on  their  order. 

Wycliffe  being  silent  till  they  should  have  made  an  end, 
and  then  making  his  servant  raise  him  a  little  on  his  pillow, 
and  fixing  his  keen  eyes  upon  them,  he  said  with  a  loud  voice, 
'  I  shall  not  die,  but  live,  and  declare  the  evil  deeds  of  the 
Friars  !'  The  monks  rushed  in  astonishment  and  confusion 
from  the  chamber.* 

Ferse  22.  T/ze  same  stojie  which  the  builders  refused^  is  become 
the  head  stone  in  tJiecoj-ner. — The  author  of  Historia  Scholastica 
mentions  it  as  a  tradition,  that  at  the  building  of  the  second 
temple  there  was  a  particular  stone  of  which  that  was  literally 
true  which  is  here  parabolically  rehearsed,  viz.,  that  it  had  the 
hap  to  be  often  taken  up  by  the  builders,  and  as  oft  rejected, 
and  at  last  it  was  found  to  be  perfectly  fit  for  the  most  honour- 
able place,  that  of  the  chief  corner  stone  which  coupled  the 
sides  of  the  Avails  together,  the  extraordinariness  whereof 
occasioned  the  speech  here  following  :  '  This  is  the  Lord's 
doing :  it  is  rriarvellous  i7i  our  eyesJ\ 

R.  F.  Littledale  : 

*  Higher  yet,  and  ever  higher,  passeth  He  those  ranks  above, 
Where  the  seraphs  are  enkindled  with  the  flame  of  endless  love  ; 
Passeth  them,  for  not  e'en  seraphs  ever  loved  so  well  as  He 
"Who  hath  borne  for  His  beloved,  stripes  and  thorns  and  shameful  tree  ; 
Ever  further,  ever  onward,  where  no  angel's  feet  may  tread, 
Where  the  four-and-twenty  elders  prostrate  fall  in  mystic  dread, 

*    The  History  of  Protestantism,  by  Dr.  Wyllie. 
t  Henry  Hammond. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  473 

Where  the  four  strange  living  creatures  sing  their  hymns  before  the  throne, 
The  Despised  One  and  Rejected  passeth  in  His  might  alone  ; 
Passeth  through  the  dazzling  rainbow,  till  upon  the  Father's  right 
He  IS  seated,  his  Co-equal,  Gon  of  God,  and  Light  of  Light.' 

Verse  23.  This  is  the  Lord's  doing :  a?id  it  is  marvellous  in 
our  eyes. — Queen  Elizabeth  of  England,  during  the  last  days  of 
her  sister's  life,  waited  at  Hatfield,  surrounded  by  courtiers, 
and  daily  hearing  reports  of  Mary's  death.  Sir  Nicholas 
Throckmorton  first  brought  her  the  real  tidings,  but  she  refused 
to  act  on  them  till  one  of  the  ladies  whom  she  trusted  should 
have  sent  her  the  black  enamelled  espousal  ring,  which  never 
left  Mary's  finger.  PJefore  the  ring  came,  however,  the  coun- 
cillors themselves  had  armed  and  paid  their  homage  to  her  as 
their  undisputed  queen.  She  sank  on  her  knees,  and  exclaimed 
in  Latin  :  '  This  is  the  Lord's  doi?ig :  and  it  is  7narvellous  in  our 
eyes'* 

Verse  24.  This  is  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made. — It 
added  not  a  little  to  Dr.  Wordsworth's  gratification  to  find  that 
Tuesday,  November  17th,  the  day  on  which  he  accepted 
Lincoln,  was  a  marked  day  in  the  annals  of  the  diocese.  As 
was  his  usual  habit  at  Westminster,  he  had  attended  the  Abbey 
service,  and  was  struck  by  the  anthem  beginning,  '  This  is  the 
day  which  the  Lord  hath  made. '  On  inquiring  the  reason  for 
its  selection,  he  was  told  that  it  was  the  anniversary  of  the 
accession  of  Queen  Elizabeth  (the  second  foundress,  so  to 
speak,  of  Westminster),  and  also  the  day  of  St.  Hugh  of 
Lincoln.  He  often  in  later  life  used  to  refer  with  pleasure  to 
this  coincidence.! 

This  is  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made:  we  will  rejoice 
and  be  glad  in  it. — This  Psalm  was  the  Psalm  said  by  the 
dear  little  children  of  Mrs.  Tait  every  Sunday.  She  says  in 
her  most  touching  account  of  the  death  of  her  five  little  ones : 
'  Sundays  were  days  of  great  happiness  with  them.    They  would 

*   Cameos  from  Eji^lish  History,  No.  cxlvii. 
f  I.ife  of  Bishop  Wordsworth^  p.  207. 


474  PSALM-MOSAICS 

often,  before  we  were  up,  come  in,  the  five  together,  with  their 
bright,  happy  Sunday  look,  take  their  place  beside  us,  and 
chant  wnth  clear  voice,  "  T/iis  is  the  day  the  Lord  hath  made  : 
we  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  i7i  it ";  then  say  all  together  a  Sunday 
hymn,  "  Put  the  spade  and  wheel  away,  Do  no  weary  work 
to-day";  then  the  122nd  Psalm,  ''I  was  glad  when  they  said 
unto  me,  We  will  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord."  After 
their  prayers  I  would  explain  the  Gospel  or  Epistle  to  the 
three  eldest.  Happy  Christian  English  home  !  Happy  children 
in  Abraham's  bosom  !  Happy  mother,  now  with  her  loved 
ones  in  Paradise  the  blessed  !  Happy  father,  w^aiting  in  rest- 
ing hope  the  time  when  all  will  be  one  again.'* 

Verse  25.  Help  me  now,  O  Lord:  O  Lord,  se?id  us  now 
prosperity. — The  cry  of  the  multitudes  as  they  thronged  in  our 
Lord's  triumphal  procession  into  Jerusalem  (St.  Matthew  xxi. 
9;  St.  Mark  xi.  9;  St.  John  xii.  13)  was  taken  from  this 
Psalm,  from  which  they  were  accustomed  to  recite  the  25th 
and  26th  verses  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  On  that  occasion 
the  great  Hallel,  consisting  of  Psalms  cxiii.-cxviii.,  was  chanted 
by  one  of  the  priests,  and  at  certain  intervals  the  multitudes 
joined  in  the  responses,  waving  their  branches  of  willow  and 
palm,  and  shouting  as  they  waved  them,  '  Hallelujah,'  or 
'Hosannah,'  or  'O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  send  now  prosperity.' 
This  was  done  at  the  recitation  of  the  first  and  last  verses  of 
Psalm  cxviii.,  but  according  to  the  school  of  Hillel  at  the 
words,  'Save  now,  we  beseech  thee  !  .   .  .'t 

Verse  26.  Blessed  is  ILe  that  cometh  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord. 

The   liturgical  use  of  these  words  in  the  Mass  is  of  remote 

antiquity.  In  the  Liturgy  of  St.  James,  the  congregation  utters 
them  in  response  to  the  Deacon's  invitation  to  draw  near  the 
altar  for  communion.  In  that  of  St.  Clement  they  form  part 
of  the  anthem  sung  by  the  people  immediately  after  the  'Holy 
things  for  holy  persons  '  has  been  uttered  by  the  Priest  at  the 

*    Catherine  and  Craufurd  Tait,  p.  261. 
t  Smith's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  475 

elevation.  In  that  of  St.  Chrysostom,  the  Priest  uses  the 
words  much  earlier  in  the  office— just  after  the  Prayer  of  the 
Trisagion— and  the  choir  recites  it  again,  as  part  of  the  Ter- 
sanctus,  before  the  words  of  Institution  ;  while  the  Roman 
Missal,  not  dissimilarly,  uses  it  as  part  of  the  Sanctus  at  the 
end  of  the  Preface,  immediately  before  the  Canon  begins."*^ 

Blessed  is  he  that  comet/i  m  the  Name  of  the  J.ord  were  the 
words  with  which  Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall,  and  William 
Longespee  were  received  at  Acre  as  Crusaders. 

Verses  26,  27.  Blessed  be  he  that  conieth  in  the  Name  of  the 
Lord.  .  .  .  God  is  the  Lord. — The  early  Christian  inhabitants 
of  Syria  no  doubt  abandoned  their  cities — extensive  remains 
of  which  exist  at  the  present  day — on  the  irruption  of  the 
Persians  under  Chosroes  I.,  in  a.d.  574,  or  under  Chosroes  II., 
A.D.  611,  or,  at  the  latest,  on  the  Saracenic  invasion  of  Syria 
under  Abu  Bekr,  a.d.  634.  There  is  a  melancholy  interest  in 
contrasting  the  ancient  dignity  and  grandeur  of  the  Church  in 
Syria,  as  witnessed  to  by  these  stately  ruins,  with  its  present 
deep  decline  and  degradation,  as  exhibited  among  the  scat- 
tered remnants  of  the  flock  of  Christ  which  still  exist  in  the 
city  where  the  disciples  were  first  called  Christians. 

El-Hass  consists  of  a  vast  extent  of  ruins— the  most 
conspicuous  that  of  a  church ;  next  to  this,  the  most  striking 
objects  are  the  tombs.  They  vary  very  much  in  character,  and 
many  of  them  are  exceedingly  handsome.  Some  have  been 
excavated  in  the  live  rock,  in  the  walls  of  the  quarries,  out  of 
which  the  buildings  have  been  erected.  Others  are  solid  square 
structures,  sometimes  in  two  stories,  covered  in  some  instances 
with  massive  semicircular  covers,  in  others  with  pyramidal 
roofs,  very  similar  to  Absalom's  Pillar  at  Jerusalem. 

On  one  of  these  latter  is  a  long  Greek  inscription,  beauti- 
fully carved,  running  along  the  cornice,  part  of  which  I  de- 
ciphered, and  found  it  to  contain  passages  from  Psalms  cxviii. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary^  vol.  iii.,  p.  529. 


476  PSALM-MOSAICS 

26,  27,  and  Ixv.  10.— ^  Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in  the  Name  of 
the  Lord.  .  .  .  God  is  the  Lord,  and  hath  appeared  unto  us. — 
Thou  hast  visited  the  earth,  and  watered  it  abundantly  '"^ 


PSALM  CXIX. 

Headi7ig  (Delitzsch). — A  twenty-two  fold  string  of  aphorisms 
by  one  who  is  persecuted  for  the  sake  of  his  faith. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — There  is  no  title  to  this  Psalm,  neither  is 
any  author's  name  mentioned.  It  is  the  longest  Psalm,  and 
this  is  a  sufficiently  distinctive  name  for  it. 

Co7ite7its  (Syriac). — Anonymous.  A  principal  meditation 
upon  the  excellency  that  is  in  God. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  date  of  this  Psalm  cannot  be  fixed 
with  anything  like  certainty,  though  it  may  probably  be  referred 
to  a  time  subsequent  to  the  return  from  the  Babylonish 
captivity. 

/;/  Chnrch. — Verses  1-32  are  used  in  the  Roman  Office  for 
the  Dying,  and  for  the  Burial  of  Children.  In  the  Midnight 
Office  of  the  Greek  Church  Psalm  cxix.  is  sung  in  three  por- 
tions, each  ending  with  the  Glory  and  Alleluia.  These  portions 
end  with  verses  72,  131,  176.  The  Psalm  is  called  the  Amomos 
— '  Undefiled.'     It  is  also  used  in  the  Greek  Burial  Service.! 

This  Psalm  is  said  through  every  day  from  beginning  to  end 
in  the  Offices  of  the  West.  In  the  East  it  appears  to  have 
been  appointed  for  recitation,  not  every  day,  but  every  Lord's 
Day.  See  the  homily  upon  Psalm  cxxi.,  appended  in  some 
editions  to  the  works  of  St.  Chrysostom.  The  author  begins 
his  homily  thus  :  'As  a  great  treasure,  and  spiritual  wealth, 
and  most  delightsome  benefit  of  souls,  and  for  the  praise  and 
glory  of  God,  and  for  the  security  of  our  life,  and  a  pattern  of 

*  Holy  Eastern  Church,  Patriarchate  of  Antioch,  by  Dr.  Neale,  Notes, 
p.  xxxi. 

t   The  Interleaved  Frayer-Book,  p.  303. 


PSALM  CXIX.  477 

good  works,  the  noble  chiefs  and  teachers,  our  Holy  Fathers, 
have  directed  us  to  sing  and  play  Psalm  cxviii.  (A.V.  cxix.) 
upon  the  first  day  in  the  revolution  of  the  week,  which  day  is 
with  us  also  called  the  Lord's  Day,  because  of  the  Lords 
resurrection  upon  that  day.'  In  the  Sarum  and  in  the  Roman 
Breviary  it  is  said  daily  at  the  lesser  offices :  at  Prime,  verses 
1-32;  at  Terce,  verses  33-80;  at  Sext,  verses  81-128;  at 
None,  verses  129-176.  In  every  case  the  Gloria  Patri  is  said 
at  the  end  of  every  sixteen  verses  (and  not  at  the  end  of  every 
eight,  as  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  directs),  presumably  in 
order  to  preserve  the  ancient  usage  of  making  the  number  of 
Psalms  odd.'^ 

The  Whole  Fsalm. — The  119th  Psalm  has  ever  been  un- 
popular with  those  who  read  the  Psalter  merely  as  literature. 
The  longest  of  the  entire  collection,  it  is  formed  of  twenty-two 
strophes,  each  consisting  of  eight  distichs,  the  whole  eight 
commencing  with  the  same  letter  in  the  order  of  the  Hebrew 
alphabet.  The  word  '  law  '  occurs  twenty-five  times,  '  statute  ' 
twenty-three  times,  and  so  on  with  a  succession  of  synonyms, 
the  word  '  word '  being  repeated  some  thirty  times.  Entire 
phrases  are  reproduced  again  and  again,  especially  the  prayer 
'■  qtiicke?!  me^  Yet  few  Psalms  are  dearer  to  the  Church's 
heart.  Thousands  of  Christians  repeat  the  greater  portion  of 
it  every  day.  (See  Prayers  for  the  third,  sixth  and  ninth  hours, 
in  the  Treasury  of  Devotion.)  It  contains  the  shortest  and 
most  pregnant  statements  of  the  great  principles  of  the  spiritual 
life.  ...  I  have  spoken  in  one  of  these  lectures  of  '  the  long 
colourless  distances  of  the  119th  Psalm.'  Anyone  who  wishes 
to  see  how  these  distances  may  be  made  to  become  full  of  life 
and  colour— how  these  distichs  are  interlinked  by  a  higher 
connection  than  that  of  logic — will  do  well  to  study  Dr. 
Pusey's  Sermons  on  verses  59,  60  {^Sermons  during  the  Season 
from  Advent  to  JVhit-Su?tdaj',  pp.  156,  170). 

I  will  only  add  one  other  testimony — that  of  Mr.  Ruskin  in 

*  Armtield  on  T/ie  Gradual  Fsalvis,  p.     96. 


478  PSALM -MOSAICS 

the  J^ors  Clavigera  :  '  It  is  strange  that  of  all  the  pieces  of  the 
Bible  which  my  mother  thus  taught  me,  that  which  cost  me 
most  to  learn,  and  which  was,  to  my  childish  mind,  chiefly 
repulsive — the  119th  Psalm — has  now  become  of  all  the  most 
precious  to  me  in  its  overflowing  and  glorious  passion  of  love 
for  the  law  of  God.'"^ 

Keble  speaks  of  the  '  direct,  lightning-like  force  of  the  in- 
spired sentences  throughout  the  119th  Psalm. 'f 

St.  Chrysostom  says  of  this  Psalm  :  The  Psalm  is  an  in- 
exhaustible treasury  of  spiritual  riches. 

In  Mattheiv  Henrfs  account  of  the  Life  and  Death  of  his 
father,  Philip  Henry,  he  says  :  '  Once  pressing  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  he  advised  us  to  take  a  verse  of  this  Psalm  every 
morning  to  meditate  upon,  and  so  go  over  the  Psalm  twice  in 
the  year ;  and  that,  saith  he,  will  bring  you  to  be  in  love  with 
all  the  rest  of  the  Scriptures.'  He  often  said,  'All  grace  grows 
as  love  to  the  Word  of  God  grows. 't 

In  our  German  versioJi  it  has  the  appropriate  inscription, 
'  The  Christian's  golden  A  B  C  of  the  praise,  love,  power,  and 
use  of  the  Word  of  God.'§ 

George  Wishart,  the  chaplain  and  biographer  of  '  the  great 
Marquis  of  Montrose,'  as  he  was  called,  would  have  shared  the 
fate  of  his  illustrious  patron  but  for  the  following  singular  ex- 
pedient :  When  upon  the  scaffold  he  availed  himself  of  the 
custom  of  the  times,  which  permitted  the  condemned  to  choose 
a  Psalm  to  be  sung.  He  selected  the  119th  Psalm,  and  before 
two-thirds  of  the  Psalm  had  been  sung  a  pardon  arrived,  and 
his  hfe  was  preserved.  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  add  that 
the  George  Wishart,  Bishop  of  Edinburgh,  above  referred  to, 
has  been  too  often  confounded  with  the  godly  martyr  of  the 
same  name  who  lived  and  died  a  century  previously.     We  only 

*   7716  IVitness  of  the  Fsalins  to  Christ  and  Ch7-istianity,  p.  301. 

t  Preface  to  the  Psalter^  p.  ix. 

Ij:   The  Treasury  of  the  Psalter^  vol.  vi.,  p.  3. 

\  Delitzsch. 


PSALM  CXIX.  479 

mention  the  incident  because  it  has  often  been  quoted  as  a 
singular  instance  of  the  providential  escape  of  a  saintly  person- 
age ;  whereas  it  was  the  very  ingenious  device  of  a  person  who, 
according  to  Woodrow,  was  more  renowned  for  shrewdness 
than  for  sanctity.  The  length  of  this  Psalm  was  sagaciously 
employed  as  the  means  of  gaining  time,  and,  hapi)ily,  the 
expedient  succeeded."^ 

St.  Augustine,  who  among  his  voluminous  works  left  a 
Comment  on  the  Book  of  Psalms,  delayed  to  comment  on  this 
one  till  he  had  finished  the  whole  Psalter,  and  then  yielded 
only  to  the  long  and  vehement  urgency  of  his  friends, 
'  because,'  he  says,  '  as  often  as  I  essayed  to  think  thereon,  it 
always  exceeded  the  powers  of  my  intent  thought  and  the 
utmost  grasp  of  my  faculties,'! 

Henry  Afartjn.  — There  is  frequent  reference  to  this  Psalm 
in  the  diary  of  Henry  Martyn  :  '  Found  some  devotion  in  learn- 
ing a  part  of  the  119th  Psalm.'  'In  the  evening  grew  better 
by  reading  the  119th  Psalm,  which  generally  brings  me  into  a 
spiritual  frame  of  mind.'  'Again  in  a  fretful  frame  ;  it  was  not 
till  I  learned  some  of  Psalm  cxix.  that  I  could  return  to  a 
proper  spirit.' t 

Wi7/mm  Wilberforce. — In  the  midst  of  a  London  season,  in 
the  stir  and  turmoil  of  a  political  crisis,  18 19,  William  ^^'ilber- 
force  writes  in  his  diary  :  '  Walked  from  Hyde  Park  Corner 
repeating  the  119th  Psalm  in  great  comfort.'  Many  such 
notices  occur  down  to  the  last,  when  he  was  carried,  a  dying 
man,  to  London,  in  1833.  '  How  differently  time  appears,'  he 
said  to  his  son,  while  they  halted  at  an  inn,  '  while  you  look  at 
it  in  the  life  of  an  individual  or  in  the  mass  !  Now  I  seem  to 
have  gone  through  such  a  number  of  various  scenes,  and  such 
a  lapse  of  time,  and  yet,  when  you  come  to  compare  it  with 

*  Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon. 

f  William  de  Burgh  (quoted  in  The  Treasttry  of  David). 

X   The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  145. 


480  PSALM-MOSAICS 

any  great  period  of  time — fifty  years — how  little  fifty  years 
seem  !  Why,  it  is  3,000  years  since  the  Psalms  which  I 
delight  in  were  written.  By  the  way,  I  have  not  my  Psalter 
this  morning.     Do  you  know  where  it  is  ?'* 

Cowpei\  Bishop  of  Galloway  in  161 3,  published  a  folio 
volume  entitled,  'The  Holy  Alphabet  of  Zion's  Scholars,'  by 
way  of  commentary  on  the  119th  Psalm.  Dr.  Manton  wrote 
a  series  of  190  sermons  on  the  119th  Psalm,  for  which  the 
bookseller  offered  him  ;£^6o,  a  large  sum  for  the  period,  being 
four  times  the  amount  paid  for  the  MS.  of  Milton's  Paradise 
Lost. 

Greenham,  another  Nonconformist,  also  wrote  a  large  work  on 
this  Psalm  ;  and  within  the  last  few  years  a  popular  volume  on 
the  same  subject,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Bridges,  has  made  its 
appearance.! 

This  ''  Psalm  of  the  Saints,''  as  it  is  especially  called,  most 
probably  belongs  to  the  latest  period  of  inspired  Hebrew 
poetry.  .  .  .  The  Masoretic  editors  have  pointed  out  that  in 
every  verse  save  one  (122)  there  is  a  direct  reference  to  the  Law 
under  some  one  of  the  ten  names  which  stand  in  English,  as 
/azu,  -word,  sayi/ig,  statute,  testii/ionies,  zvay,  precept,  conuiiajid- 
ment,  Judgment,  faithfulness,  and  are  supposed  to  have  a 
mystical  reference  to  the  Decalogue.  It  would  seem  that  the 
Jewish  editors  ought  rather  to  have  fixed  on  verse  132  as  the 
single  exception  to  their  rule,  for  it  is,  perhaps,  possible  to  see 
an  indirect  allusion  to  the  law  in  verse  122,  but  none  such  is 
discoverable  in  verse  132.  These  terms  are  not  altogether 
interchangeable  (though  some  of  them  are  doubtless  nearly 
synonymous),  and  the  most  obvious  classification  is  as 
follows  :  Lmc  is  the  generic  phrase,  including  all  the  others, 
and  taken  for  the  whole  scope  of  Divine  revelation  ;  testi?nonies 
are  such  precepts  as  are  prohibitory,  attesting  God's  holiness, 
protesting  against  man's  sinfulness ;  statutes  are  positive  enact- 

*   The  Witness  of  tJie  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  280. 
t   The  Psalmists  of  Britain,  by  Holland,  p.  198. 


PSALM  CXIX.  481 

ments,  ceremonial  ordinances,  and  the  like;  commandvients, 
moral  enactments  ;  judgments,  formal  decisions  of  duties  as 
laid  down  in  the  Law ;  precepts  are  counsels  recommended  to 
individuals  for  their  guidance  and  profit ;  word  is  any  verbal 
revelation  of  God's  will ;  saying,  or,  rather,  promise,  the  declara- 
tion of  blessings  to  follow  on  obedience ;  way,  the  prescribed 
rule  of  conduct ;  faithfulness,  the  abiding  character  and  per- 
manence of  the  Law. 

Cardinal  Bellarmine  suggests,  not  improbably,  and  in  accord- 
ance with  a  Rabbinical  tradition,  that  the  great  length  of  the 
Psalm  was  intended  to  fit  it  for  use  as  a  processional  hymn  for 
the  caravans  going  up  thrice  a  year  to  the  great  festivals  in 
Jerusalem,  followed  as  it  is  by  those  gradual  Psalms  which 
marked  the  nearer  approach  of  the  pilgrims  to  the  Temple."^ 

Lord  William  Russell  the  night  before  his  execution  was 
singing  within  himself,  and  Dr.  Burnet  asking  him  what  he  was 
singing,  he  said,  '  It  was  the  hundred  and  nineteenth  Psalm, 
but  he  should  sing  better  very  soon.'  His  concluding  remarks 
were,  '  I  have  now  done  with  this  world,  and  am  going  to  a 
better  ;  I  forgive  all  the  world  heartily,  and  I  thank  God  I  die 
in  charity  with  all  men.'t 

'  We  speak  of  the  realms  of  the  blest,^  one  of  our  most  popular 
hymns,  had  its  origin  in  this  Psalm,  not  from  any  direct  refer- 
ence to  the  heavenly  world,  but  from  the  spirit  which  it 
breathes,  and  the  longing  it  excites  for  all  that  is  pure  and 
perfect.  The  hymn  was  written,  after  reading  Bridges  on  the 
iT9th  Psalm,  a  few  weeks  before  her  death,  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Mills,  who  died  in  1839,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  + 

Verse  18.  Ope7i  Thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  see  the  wondrous 
things  of  Thy  law. — In  Ireland,  during  the  whole  of  the  reign 
of  Henry  VIIL,  the  old  customs  with  regard  to  ecclesiastical 
matters  remained.  George  Davdall,  the  ex-Prior  of  the  Crutched 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Comvientaty  on  the  Psahns,  vol.  iv.,  p.  2. 

t  Last  Hours  of  Christian  Men,  p.  194. 

X   The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  144. 

31 


482  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Friary  of  Ardace,  had  been  appointed,  just  before  Henry's 
death,  Archbishop  of  Armagh,  and  Primate,  and  had  obtained 
confirmation  of  his  appointment  from  the  Pope. 

When  Edward  VI.  sent  orders  for  the  adoption  of  the  Enghsh 
Prayer-Book,  Davdall  resisted  it,  giving  as  one  reason,  '  Then 
shall  every  illiterate  fellow  read  Mass.'  The  Viceroy  (Sir 
Anthony  St.  Leger)  replied  that  there  were  many  priests  who 
did  not  understand  their  Latin,  but  now  both  clergy  and  people 
would  understand. 

A  quarrel  thereupon  arose  between  him  and  St.  Leger,  on 
the  question  whether  St.  Peter  was  the  head  of  the  Church, 
ending  by  the  Archbishop  rising,  with  all  the  Bishops  of  his 
province  except  Staples  (an  Englishman),  Bishop  of  Meath, 
and  quitting  the  assembly  as  a  protest.  There  remained  the 
Archbishop  of  Dublin  (George  Browne),  with  his  suffragans, 
and  he  accepted  the  new  Prayer-Book,  saying  that  he  submitted 
to  the  King  as  our  Lord  to  Csesar. 

For  the  first  time  on  Easter  Day,  155 1,  in  Christ  Church 
Cathedral,  Dublin,  the  Reformed  Liturgy  was  used ;  the  Arch- 
bishop preached  a  sermon  on  the  text,  '  Optwi  Thou  }ni?ie  eyes, 
that  I  may  behold  wondi'ous  things  out  of  Thy  laiv.'"^ 

Verse  19.  I aju  a  strange7-  iipoji  earth;  O  hide  not  Thy  com- 
7nandmetits  from  me. — On  the  day  of  his  baptism  (Craufurd 
Tait's)  at  Rugby,  his  godfather,  the  Dean  of  Wells,  who  all 
through  his  life  loved  him  tenderly,  had  given  him  a  Bible, 
with  this  inscription:  'Psalm  cxix.  19 — /  am  a  stranger  upon 
earth  ;  O  hide  not  Thy  com7nand??ie?its  fro?n  me.' 

He  lived  to  see  his  wish  fulfilled,  to  see  how,  as  his  godson 
grevz  to  manhood,  the  commandments  of  God  became  his 
steadfast  rule  of  life.f 

Verse  25.  My  soul  deaveth  to  the  dust :  O  quicken  Thou  me 
according  to  Thy  word. — The  answer  to  the  Emperor  Theo- 
dosius'  humble  words  was  still  a  stern  one.     'What  penitence 

*  Cameos  from  English  History,  No.  cxlv. 
f   Catherine  and  Cranfiird  Tait,  p.  593. 


PSALM  CXIX.  483 

have  you  been  showing  for  your  great  fault?'  {i.e.,  the  massacre 
at  Thessalonica).  'What  remedy  have  you  appHed  to  the 
mcurable  wound  you  have  inflicted  ?' 

'  It  is  your  duty,'  answered  the  penitent,  '  to  prepare  the 
remedies,  mine  to  accept  what  is  offered  me.' 

'Since,  then,'  said  Ambrose,  'you  allow  your  temper  to  act 
the  part  of  judge,  and  permit  anger  instead  of  reason  to  pro- 
nounce sentence,  you  must  make  a  law  which  shall  render  such 
hasty  orders  null  and  void.  When  a  sentence  of  death  or  con- 
fiscation of  property  is  pronounced,  let  thirty  days  elapse  before 
it  is  put  into  execution.  After  this  time  has  passed,  and  you 
have  become  cool,  let  your  decree  be  shown  to  you.  You  will 
then  be  able  to  decide  rationally  whether  it  is  just  or  not.  If 
the  latter,  then  the  writing  can  be  destroyed  ;  if  the  former,  it 
may  be  ratified.  Where  the  judgment  is  right,  a  little  delay 
will  do  no  harm.' 

The  emperor  consented.  The  regulation  suggested  by 
Ambrose  was  not  new  to  him  j  a  similar  rule  had  been  laid 
down  by  Gratian,  but  had  either  been  forgotten,  or  not  adopted 
by  himself.  The  necessary  document  was  speedily  prepared 
and  signed,  and  the  excommunication  was  removed.  Laying 
aside  every  ornament  that  could  mark  his  rank,  Theodosius 
entered  the  church  with  a  deep  sigh  of  relief,  and  fell  prostrate 
on  the  floor,  smiting  his  breast,  and  crying,  '  My  soul  deaveth 
unto  the  dust ;  O  quicken  Thou  me  accordi?ig  to  Thy  word' 
and  with  every  sign  of  the  profoundest  compunction  besought 
and  received  absolution  and  readmission  to  the  Communion 
of  the  Church.  To  the  day  of  his  death  he  never  ceased  to 
deplore  his  error,  and  was  so  watchful  over  himself,  and  so 
careful  not  to  offend,  that  the  more  he  was  irritated  the  more 
ready  he  was  to  pardon ;  and  offenders  were  said  not  to  fear, 
but  to  wish  to  see  him  angry. 

Ambrose  testified  his  belief  in  the  sincerity  of  his  repentance 
by  inscribing  to  him  the  book  he  had  written  m  384,  entitled 
'  The  Defence  of  the  Prophet  David.'"' 

*   The  Fathers  for  English  Readers.     St.  Ambrose,  p.  70. 


484  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  32.  /  will  run  the  way  of  Thy  conwiatidments^  ivheii 
Thou  shalt  enlarge  ?ny  heart. — In  the  first  months  of  a  happy 
union  a  young  couple  often  need  direction  and  guidance.  This 
is  what  the  Bishop  wrote  on  one  occasion  of  the  sort : 

*  My  child,  I  bless  God  for  the  happiness  He  has  given  you 
in  this  new  desert,  of  which  Holy  Scripture  says,  "  The  desert 
shall  flourish  like  a  lily."  There  is  a  passage  in  Holy  Writ 
which  I  wish  you  to  learn  :  /  have  seen  the  way  of  Thy  com- 
mandments when  Thou  didst  enlarge  my  heart  (Ps.  cxviii.  32). 
Sorrow  draws  people  nearer  to  God,  but  happiness  does  so 
also.  When  one  suffers  one  has  to  make  an  effort,  but  when 
one  is  very  happy  one  has  only  to  let  one's  self  go.  And  why 
should  you  not  both  open  your  hearts  joyfully  and  confidently 
to  this  Divine  grace  ?  It  is  God  you  must  see  in  all  the  happi- 
ness with  which  your  cup  to-day  overflows.  All  these  joys  are 
like  the  morning  dews  which  God  sends  before  the  heat  and 
burden  of  the  day.  The  flower  joyfully  drinks  in  the  dew ;  it 
is  its  way  of  blessing  God.  You,  too,  must  thank  and  praise 
Him.  You  know  the  source  of  all  happiness.  It  comes  from 
God,  and  ought  to  bring  you  close  to  Him.  It  must  not  soften 
or  make  you  idle,  but  strengthen  you  to  fulfil  your  duties  and 
renew  your  faith,  love  and  courage.  Resume  your  old  habits 
of  prayer  and  work  ;  be  diligent  in  His  service  ;  give  a  portion 
of  your  life  to  charitable  deeds.  Perhaps  I  did  not  dwell  on 
this  point  before ;  but,  believe  me,  they  are  the  best  means  of 
prolonging  your  happiness  and  drawing  down  the  blessing  of 
God  in  your  daily  life.  May  you  increase  more  and  more 
in  love  towards  Him  from  whom  alone  come  all  human 
joys  V* 

Verse  37.  O  turn  away  viitie  eyes,  lest  they  behold  vanity,  and 
quicken  Thou  me  in  Thy  zvay. — Francis'  father,  Francis  Seigneur 
de  Nouvelles,  M.  de  Boisy  (he  took  the  latter  name  on  his 
marriage,  De  Boisy  being  one  of  the  family  names  of  the  father 
of  Madame  de  Boisy),  bent  on  a  splendid  public  career  for  his 

*  Life  of  Mgr.  Dtipanlotip  of  Orleans. 


PSALM  CXIX.  485 

eldest  son,   determined  on  sending  him    to    the    College    de 
Navarre  in  Paris. 

St.  Francis  shrank  from  manifold  temptations,  and  through 
his  mother,  Francis'  education  was  transferred  to  the  College 
de  Clermont,  under  the  Jesuit  Fathers.  Accompanied  to  Paris 
by  the  Abbe  Deage— the  same  good  priest  who  had  been  his 
first  religious  teacher,  and  who  remained  his  tutor  till  long  past 
the  time  when  modern  ideas  would  suppose  such  guidance 
necessary— Francis  distinguished  himself  in  his  classes,  and 
was  more  than  once  appointed  prefect;  but  rhetoric  and 
philosophy,  taught  as  they  were  by  most  distinguished  pro- 
fessors, did  not  satisfy  him,  and  his  desire  to  study  theology, 
with  a  view  to  the  priesthood,  grew  daily  stronger. 

One  day — it  was  Quinquagesima  Sunday — the  Abbe  Deage 
was  struck  with  his  pupil's  grave,  almost  troubled,  countenance, 
and  attributing  it  to  overwork,  kindly  proposed  that  they  should 
go  out  together  and  see  the  humours  of  the  Paris  carnival.  But 
Francis  begged  to  be  excused,  adding  :  '  Averte  oculos  meos, 
ne  videant  vanitatem '  ( Tuni  aivay  jnme  eyes,  lest  they  behold 
vanity).  '  What  can  I  do  to  cheer  you  ?'  the  Abbe  asked  ;  and 
the  boy,  raising  his  earnest  face  to  his  tutor's,  answered  by 
quoting  the  Gospel  for  the  day,  the  words  'Domine  ut  videam!' 
(Lord,  that  I  may  receive  my  sight !).  '  But  what  is  it  that 
you  would  see  ?'  inquired  the  Abbe,  much  moved ;  and  then 
Francis  poured  forth  his  longing  after  those  theological  studies 
which  would,  as  he  believed,  enable  him  to  penetrate  the  deep 
things  of  God,  and  help  him  to  approach  the  only  earthly  aim 
he  knew — the  priesthood."^ 

Verse  49.  Oh,  think  upon  Thy  servant  as  concerning  Thy  word. 
— Josquin,  a  celebrated  composer,  was  appointed  master  of  the 
chapel  to  Louis  XII.  of  France,  who  promised  him  a  benefice, 
but,  contrary  to  his  usual  custom,  forgot  him.  Josquin,  after 
suffering  great  inconvenience  from  the  shortness  of  his  Majesty's 
memory,  ventured,  by  a  singular  expedient,  publicly  to  remind 
*  S.  Francis  de  Sales ^  p.  16. 


486  PSALM-MOSAICS 

him  of  his  promise  without  giving  offence.  Being  commanded 
to  compose  a  motet  for  the  Chapel  Royal,  he  chose  part  of  the 
119th  Psalm,  beginning  '  O/i,  think  of  Thy  servant  as  co?icern- 
ifig  Thy  word,''  which  he  set  in  so  supplicating  and  exquisite  a 
manner  that  it  w^as  universally  admired,  particularly  by  the 
King,  who  was  not  only  charmed  with  the  music,  but  felt  the 
force  of  the  word  so  effectually  that  he  soon  after  granted  his 
petition,  by  conferring  on  him  the  promised  appointment."^' 

Verse  59.  /  called  mine  ow7i  ways  to  reniembra?ice,  and  turned 
my  feet  unto  Thy  testimonies. — This  Psalm  drew  to  it  the  special 
admiration  of  Pascal,  who,  as  his  sister,  Madame  Perier,  says, 
often  spoke  with  such  feeling  about  it  '  that  he  seemed 
transported — ^  qu'il paraissait  hors  de  lui  meme'  He  used  to 
say  that,  '  with  the  deep  study  of  life,  it  contained  the  sum  of 
all  the  Christian  virtues.'  He  singled  out  verse  59  as  giving 
the  turning-point  of  man's  character  and  destiny :  '' I  thought 
on  7?iy  ways,  and  tur7ied  my  feet  unto  Thy  testimonies.'^  \ 

Verse  62.  At  midnight  I  will  rise  to  give  thanks  unto  Thee, 
because  of  Thy  righteous  judgmeiiis. — This  is  one  of  those 
isolated  texts  of  Scripture  which  have,  by  their  own  inherent 
force,  powerfully  moulded  the  habits  and  devotions  of  the 
Christian  Church.  We  shall  find  another  example  later  on  in 
this  same  Psalm,  but  of  this  it  suffices  to  say  that  the  Nocturns 
of  East  and  West  alike,  and  the  monastic  use  of  rising  at  mid- 
night to  recite  them,  are  drawn  from  its  inspiration.  In  the 
East,  moreover,  this  very  Psalm  is  part  of  the  midnight  office, 
so  that  the  verse  is  nightly  chanted  in  the  great  monasteries  of 
the  Greek  and  Russian  Churches,  JNIount  Athos,  Mount  Sinai, 
Troitzka  and  the  rest. 

In  the  West  this  verse  occurs  in  the  forenoon  office  of  Terce, 
but  the  spirit  of  the  midnight  service  is  the  same  as  that  of 
the  East.  And  the  very  Nocturn  office  itself  testifies  to  the 
influence  of  the  Psalm  : 

*  Percy  Anecdotes. 

t    The  Psabns  i7t  History  and  Biography,  p.  145. 


PSALM  CXIX,  487 

*  Far  drive  we  slumber  from  our  eyes, 
And  quickly  all  of  us  arise 
To  seek  at  dead  of  night  the  Lord 
According  to  His  Prophet's  word.' 
(Brev.  Rom.  :    T/ie  Hymn  Primo  die,  for  Sunday  Matins).* 

Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  was  Bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man,  and  the 
author  of  two  Httle  works  highly  ^^xvL^d^— Sacra  Privata  and 
Companion  to  the  Altar.  He  died  in  1755.  One  of  his 
biographers  says  :  '  Bishop  Wilson  stood  like  a  pilgrim,  with 
his  staff  in  his  hand,  ready  to  depart.  Whilst  thus  waiting  for 
his  summons,  and  in  hourly  expectation  of  going  forth  to  meet 
the  Bridegroom,  he  appeared  more  like  an  inhabitant  of  the 
world  of  glory,  on  which  he  was  about  to  enter,  than  a  sojourner 
in  this  vale  of  tears.  His  last  days  were  his  best  days.  He 
was  ripening  fast  for  heaven.' 

A  candidate  for  the  ministry,  who  at  that  time  resided  in  his 
house,  and  continued  with  him  till  his  death,  delighted  to  re- 
late the  scenes  which  he  then  witnessed.  He  used  to  tell, 
with  joy  in  his  countenance,  of  the  benignity  in  the  Bishop's 
behaviour,  the  heavenliness  of  his  discourse,  and  the  fervour 
of  his  prayers.  This  student,  who  slept  in  a  room  adjoining 
the  Bishop's  bedchamber,  frequently  overheard,  at  midnight, 
the  orisons  of  the  holy  man.  He  could  distinguish  his  whisper- 
ing voice  pouring  forth  supplications  and  thanksgivings  to  the 
great  Preserver  of  men,  who  'never  slumbers  nor  sleeps.' 
Sometimes  the  words  of  the  pious  Psalmist  were  indistinctly 
heard:  '  /  will  arise  at  midnight^  and  give  tha?iks  unto  Thee. 
Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me  praise 
His  holy  Name !'  Sometimes  passages  from  the  Te  Deum  : 
'Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth.'  Thus  did  God 
give  His  beloved  servant  songs  in  the  night-season. f 

Verse  72.  The  law  of  Thy  7notd]i  is  dearer  unto  me  than  thou- 
sands of  gold  and  silver. — You  that  are  gentlemen,  remember 
what  Hierom   reports   of  Nepotianus,  a  young  gentleman  of 

'-'<■  Dr.  Neale's  Comme^itary ,  vol.  iv.,  p.  52. 
t  Last  Hours  of  Christian  Men,  p.  300. 


488  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Rome,  qui  lo7iga  et  assidua  7neditatione  Scripturannn  pectus 
sutim  fecerat  bibliothecam  Christi — who  by  long  and  assiduous 
meditation  of  the  Scriptures  made  his  breast  the  library  of 
Christ.  Remember  what  is  said  of  King  Alfonsus,  that  he 
read  over  the  Bible  fourteen  times,  together  with  such  Com- 
mentaries as  those  times  afforded. 

You  that  are  scholars,  remember  Cranmer  and  Ridley  ;  the 
former  learned  the  New  Testament  by  heart  on  his  journey  to 
Rome,  the  latter  in  Pembroke  Hall  walks  in  Cambridge.  Re- 
member what  is  said  of  Thomas  a  Kempis,  that  he  found  rest 
nowhere  fiisi  in  a?ignlo,  awi  libello^  but  in  a  corner  with  this 
Book  in  his  hand.  And  what  is  said  of  Beza — that  when  he 
was  above  fourscore  years  old  he  could  say  perfectly  by  heart 
any  Greek  chapter  in  Paul's  Epistles. 

You  that  are  women,  consider  what  Hierom  saith  of  Paula, 
Eustochiam,  and  other  ladies,  who  were  singularly  versed  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures. 

Let  ail  men  consider  that  hyperbolical  speech  of  Luther, 
that  he  would  not  live  in  Paradise  without  the  Word,  and  with 
it  he  could  live  well  enough  in  Hell.  This  speech  of  Luther 
must  be  understood  cum  gratio  salts* 

There  is  a  tradition  of  a  Jewish  Rabbi  wfho  was  offered  a  very 
lucrative  situation  in  a  place  where  there  was  no  synagogue, 
but  who,  thinking  on  this  verse,  refused  it  —  an  instructive 
example  for  Christians  who  readily  go  to  places  where  there  is 
a  'famine  of  the  words  of  the  Lord,'  in  order  to  acquire 
worldly  riches,  t 

Verse  73.  Thy  hands  have  made  me  and  fashioned  me. — The 
words  '  Thy  hands  have  made  me  afid  fashioned  me  '  are  said  by 
the  Priest  when  he  anoints  the  child  with  oil  on  the  hands. 
The  infant  is  then  (z>.,  after  the  Benediction  of  the  Water  at 
Holy  Baptism)  anointed  for  the  first  time;  but  this  is  not  the 
Sacrament  of  Unction.     In  ancient  times,  we  are  told,  young 

*  Edmund  Calamy. 

+  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  (>2,. 


PSALM  CXIX.  489 

warriors  on  the  point  of  going  to  battle  for  the  first  time 
used  to  be  anointed  with  oil ;  thus  the  new  Christian, 
who  will  have  to  battle  against  the  enemies  of  his  salvation 
— the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil— is  anointed  as  'Christ's 
faithful  soldier  and  servant.'  Olive-oil,  possessing  salutary 
properties,  is  here  the  type  of  the  inner  healing  of  the  soul 
by  baptism.  It  is  also  the  symbol  of  the  grafting  in  of 
the  wild  olive-tree  {i.e.,  the  convert)  to  the  tree  (i.e.,  Jesus 
Christ,  Rom.  xi.  17).  When  the  Priest  anoints  the  child  on 
the  brow,  he  says,  *  The  servant  of  God,  Alexis,  is  anointed 
with  the  oil  of  gladness.  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  now,  henceforth,  and  for 
ever.  Amen  ' ;  on  the  heart,  '  for  the  healing  of  thy  soul  and 
body ' ;  on  the  ears,  *  for  the  hearing  of  the  word '  ;  on  the 
hands,  '  Thy  hands  have  made  me  and  fashioned  me ' ;  on  the 
feet,  '  that  his  feet  may  walk  in  the  way  of  Thy  command- 
ments.'* 

Verse  T^.  I  kftow,  O  Lord,  that  Thy  judgme7its  are  right, 
and  that  Thou  of  very  faithfulness  hast  caused  me  to  be  troubled. 
— Spurgeon  quotes  here,  in  illustration,  a  poem  by  Dr.  New- 
man : 

'  Yet,  Lord,  in  memory's  fondest  place 

I  shrine  those  seasons  sad, 
When  looking  up  I  saw  Thy  face 

In  kind  austereness  clad. 

'  I  would  not  miss  one  sigh  or  tear, 
Heart  pang  or  throbbing  brow  ; 
Sweet  was  the  chastisement  severe, 
And  sweet  its  memory  now. 

*  Yes  !  let  the  fragrant  scars  abide 
Love-tokens  in  Thy  stead. 
Faint  shadows  of  the  spear-pierced  side 
And  thorn-encompassed  Head. 

'And  such  Thy  tender  force  be  still 
When  self  would  swerve  or  stray, 
Shaping  to  truth  the  froward  will 
Along  Thy  narrow  way.' 

1829. 


Sketches  of  the  Gmco- Russian  Church,  p.  71. 


490  PSALM 'MOSAICS 

Last  Days  at  Neivland. — '  Every  moment  that  could  be  spared 
during  these  months  of  preparation  for  departure  was  spent  by 
the  Warden  either  in  Church,  superintending  the  execution  of 
the  last  frescoes,  or  wandering  slowly  through  the  precincts  of 
the  almshouses,  as  though  taking  farewell  of  each  stone  and  each 
foot  of  ground,  often  resting  on  the  seat  under  the  elm-tree 
that  shadows  his  child's  grave.  There  he  was  wont  to  talk  of 
her  and  her  death-bed  to  a  friend,  and  to  express  his  thankful- 
ness to  God  for  her  blessed  rest.  Only  once  he  almost  broke 
down,  when  watching  his  wife  at  a  little  distance  amongst  her 
flowers,  and  said,  "We  must  try  and  get  her  a  little  garden 
wherever  we  go." 

'  It  is  difficult  for  any  who  loved  him  to  dwell  on  those  last 
days,  when  much  of  anxiety  and  wearing  trials  combined  with 
the  sorrow  of  leaving  his  home  to  break  down  what  remained 
to  him  of  bodily  strength.  '  /  know^  O  Lord,  that  Thy  judg- 
ments are  right,  and  that  Thou  of  veiy  faithfulness  hast  caused 
me  to  be  troubled,''  he  had  taken  as  his  special  text  w^hen  his 
daughter  died  ;  and  now  he  steadfastly  set  his  heart  to  consider 
the  same,  and  to  take  all  sorrows  as  tokens  of  a  Father's  love. 
But  the  frail  earthly  tabernacle  could  not  but  suffer,  and  he 
never  recovered  the  effects  of  special  trials  at  this  time.'* 

Verse  92.  If  my  delight  had  not  been  in  Thy  Lata,  I  should 
hare  perished  in  my  trouble.  —  There  was  once  a  man  who 
pledged  his  dearest  faith  to  a  maiden,  beautiful  and  true.  For 
a  time  all  passed  pleasantly,  and  the  maiden  lived  in  happiness. 
But  then  the  man  was  called  from  her  side.  He  left  her;  long 
she  waited,  but  he  did  not  return.  Friends  pitied  her,  and 
rivals  mocked  her.  Tauntingly  they  pointed  at  her,  and  said, 
'He  has  left  thee,  he  will  never  come  back.'  The  maiden 
sought  her  chamber,  and  read  in  secret  the  letters  which  her 
lover  had  written  to  her,  the  letter  in  w^hich  he  promised  to  be 
ever  faithful,  ever  true.  Weeping  she  read  them,  but  they 
brought  comfort  to  her  heart ;  she  dried  her  eyes,  and  doubted 

*    The  Life  of  fames  Skinner,  p.  332. 


PSALM  CXIX.  491 

not.  A  joyous  day  dawned  for  her;  the  man  she  loved 
returned,  and  when  he  learned  that  others  had  doubted  and 
asked  how  she  had  preserved  her  faith,  she  showed  his  letters 
to  him,  declaring  her  eternal  trust. 

Israel,  in  misery  and  captivity,  was  mocked  by  the  nations ; 
her  hopes  of  redemption  were  made  a  laughing-stock,  her 
sages  scoffed  at,  her  holy  men  derided.  Into  her  synagogues, 
into  her  schools,  went  Israel ;  she  read  the  letters  which  her 
God  had  written,  and  believed  in  the  holy  promises  which  they 
contained.  God  will  in  time  redeem  her ;  and  when  he  says, 
'  How  could  you  alone  be  faithful  of  all  the  mocking  nation  ?' 
she  will  point  to  the  law,  and  answer  :  '  Had  not  Thy  law  been 
my  delight^  I  should  long  since  have  perished  in  my  affliction'* 

Verse  97.  Lord,  what  love  have  I  unto  Thy  law:  all  the  day 
long  is  my  study  in  it. — Dean  Burgon's  contributions  to  the 
study  of  Holy  Scripture  are,  as  is  well  known,  greatly  valuable 
in  other  directions.  It  is  well  that  the  words  of  Psalm  cxix.  97 
should  be  cut  upon  his  tomb  :  '  Dilexi  legem  tuani,  Domine, 
tola  die  meditatio  mea  est.' 

Verse  105.  Thy  word  is  a  lantern  u?ito  my  feet :  and  a  light 
unto  my  paths. — In  the  Second  Fart  of  King  Henry  VI.,  the 
King  replies  to  the  Duke  of  Gloster : 

'  Stay,  Humphrey,  Duke  of  Gloster  ;  ere  thou  go 
Give  up  thy  staff:   Henry  will  to  himself 
Protector  be,  and  God  shall  be  my  hope, 
My  stay,  my  guide,  and  lantern  to  viyfeet. 
And  go  in  peace,  Humphrey  ;  no  less  beloved 
Than  when  thou  -lijei't  protector  to  thy  king.' 

Act  H.,  Sc.  iii. 

Upon  the  words  '  lantern  to  my  feet,'  Steevens  has  a  note  in 
these  words:  'This  image,  I  think,  is  from  our  Liturgy — a 
lantern  to  my  feet,  and  a  light  to  my  paths.'  If  by  '  Liturgy,' 
is  meant  the  Psalter,  or  version  of  the  Psalms  contained  in  the 
Prayer-Book,  this  is  correct,  and  a  reference  should  have  been 

*   7Ju  Talmud,  p.  307. 


492  PSALM-MOSAICS 

made  to  Psalm  cxix.  105.  But  it  is  a  sufficient  proof  of  the 
little  attention  that  has  been  paid  to  the  branch  of  Shake- 
spearian criticism  upon  which  we  are  engaged,  that  this  loose 
and  inaccurate  note  should  have  been  allowed  to  stand,  and 
that  both  Steevens  and  Malone,  ready  as  they  were  to  encumber 
their  poet's  page,  and  to  disagree,  should,  on  this  occasion, 
have  found  nothing  more  to  say  ;  though  other  expressions  in 
the  same  speech,  such  as  'my  stay,'  'my  guide,'  and,  again,  'go 
in  peace,'  might  also  have  received  illustration  from  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. See  2  Sam.  xxii.  19;  Ps.  xviii.  18:  'They  prevented 
me  in  the  day  of  my  calamity,  but  the  Lord  was  my  stay.'' 
Ps.  xlviii.  14  :  'This  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever:  He 
will  be  our  Guide,  even  unto  death.'  Exod.  iv.  18  :  '  Jethro 
said  to  Moses,  Go  in  peace'  2  Sam.  xv.  9  :  'The  King  (David) 
said  to  Absalom,  Go  i?i  peace' ;  and  the  same  phrase  occurs 
frequently  elsewhere  in  the  Bible. '■' 

George  Herbert  : 

'God's  Cabinet  of  revealed  counsel  'tis  : 

Where  weal  and  woe 

Are  ordered  so 
That  every  man  may  know  what  shall  be  his  ; 

Unless  his  own  mistake 

False  application  make, 
It  is  the  Index  to  Eternitie. 

He  cannot  miss 

Of  endless  bliss 
That  takes  this  chart  to  steer  his  voyage  by. 

Nor  can  he  be  mistook 

That  speaketh  by  this  Book.' 

Verse    135.    S/iow  the  light  of  Thy  countenance  upon    Thy 
servant. 

'  O  when,  thou  Face  in  all  the  world  most  fair, 

When  shall  I  win  enjoyment  of  Thy  light? 
As  the  sun's  absence  is  the  earth's  despair, 

And  while  he  hides  the  wan  day  sinks  in  night : 
Flowers  have  no  dyes,  the  pleasant  woods  no  grace, 

Men  hold  their  peace,  the  birds  their  singing  hush  ; 
Soon,  when  his  rose-wreathed  head  uplifts  its  face. 

Day  laughs  in  brightness  at  the  purple  blush  ; 

*  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  69. 


■     PSALM  CXIX.  493 

Woods  regain  grace,  the  flowers  resume  their  dyes, 
Men  stir  again,  and  birds  their  singing  give  ; 

So  seeing  Thee,  my  Life,  I  dying  rise  ; 
Seeing  Thee  not,  I  die,  e'en  though  I  live.'"^- 

Verse  136.  Afi'/ie  eyes  gush  out  with  7uater,  because  men  keep  7iut 
Thy  law. — Bendetti,  a  Franciscan  monk,  author  of  the  Stahat 
Mater,  one  day  was  found  weeping,  and  when  asked  the  reason 
of  his  tears,  he  exclaimed  :  '  I  weep  because  Love  goes  about 
unloved.'! 

Verse  137.  Righteous  art  Thou,  O  Lord,  and  upright  are 
Thy  judgments. — In  601  a  political  change  took  place  at 
Constantinople.  Phocas,  who  was  but  a  common  cen- 
turion, but  a  favourite  with  the  soldiery  stationed  on  the 
Danube,  successfully  revolted  against  the  Emperor.  iMauricius 
had  to  succumb  to  his  ignoble  rival,  and  endeavouring  with 
his  wife  and  children  to  escape  to  the  Asiatic  shore,  was 
compelled  by  opposing  winds  to  take  refuge  in  a  church 
near  Chalcedon.  Phocas  entered  Constantinople,  was  ac- 
cepted as  Emperor,  and  anointed  with  his  wife  Leontia  by 
Cyriacus,  the  Patriarch.  He  was  illiterate,  sensual,  passionate, 
and  cruel.  His  acts  after  his  accession  were  in  accordance 
with  the  picture,  and  the  sons  of  the  deposed  Emperor  were 
murdered  in  succession  before  their  father's  eyes,  and  then  the 
Emperor  himself.  Their  bodies  were  thrown  into  the  sea, 
their  heads  exposed  at  Court  till  putrefaction  began,  and  then 
burned.  On  witnessing  the  death  of  each  of  his  sons,  the  old 
father,  who  was  not  devoid  of  piety,  is  said  to  have  exclaimed  : 
^  Thou  art  just,  O  Lord,  a?id  Thy  judgments  are  right.'! 

^  St.  Augustifie,  at  the  close  of  his  comparatively  peaceful 
life,'  says  Dean  Milman,  '  was  exposed  to  the  trial  of  his  severe 
and  lofty  principles.  His  faith  and  his  superiority  were  brought 
to  the  test  in  the  fearful  calamities  which  desolated  the  whole 
African  province.     No  part  of  the  empire  had  so  long  escaped, 

*  Herm.  Hugo,  Pia  Desideria  (Dr.  Neale's  Covirnentary). 

f  W.  H.  J.  P.  in  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  ii.,  p.  38S. 

X   The  Fathers  for  English  Readers :  Gregory  the  Great,  p.  131. 


494  PSALM-MOSAICS 

no  part  was  so  fearfully  visited  as  Africa  by  the  invasion  of  the 
Vandals,  yet  the  good  Bishop  did  not  fall  below  his  own  high 
notions  of  Christian,  of  episcopal  duty. 

'  When  the  Vandal  army  gathered  around  Hippo,  one  of  the 
few  cities  which  still  afforded  a  refuge  for  the  persecuted 
provincials,  he  refused,  though  more  than  seventy  years  old,  to 
abandon  his  post.  Possidius  tells  us  that  these  Bishops  of 
the  sorely-tried  Church  of  God  were  accustomed  to  meet 
together  to  pray  and  consider  the  tremendous  judgments  of 
God  which  were  before  their  eyes,  saying  :  ''^Righteous  art  Thou, 
O  Lord,  and  true  is  Thy  judgnmit^'  and  praying  with  tears  and 
groans  and  lamentations  that  He  would  relieve  them  in  their 
tribulation.' 

Verses  147,  148.  Early  in  the  morning  do  I  cry  unto  Thee,  for 
in  Thy  Word  is  my  trust.  Mine  eyes  prevent  the  night  watches, 
that  I  might  be  occupied  in  Thy  words, — The  frequent  repetition 
of  the  Psalms  of  David  hath  been  noted  to  be  a  great  part  of 
the  devotion  of  the  primitive  Christians  ;  the  Psalms  having  in 
them  not  only  prayers  and  holy  instructions,  but  such  com- 
memorations of  God's  mercies,  as  may  preserve,  comfort,  and 
confirm  our  dependence  on  the  power  and  providence  and 
mercy  of  our  Creator.  And  this  is  mentioned  in  order  to  tell- 
ino",  that  as  the  holy  Psalmist  said,  that  his  eyes  should  prevent 
both  the  daivning  of  the  day  and  night  watches,  by  meditating  on 
God's  ivord  (Psalm  cxix.  147).  So  it  was  Dr.  Sanderson's 
constant  practice  every  morning  to  entertain  his  first  waking 
thoughts  with  a  repetition  of  those  appointed  for  the  service 
of  the  evening,  remembering  and  repeating  the  very  Psalms 
appointed  for  every  day  ;  and  as  the  month  had  formerly  ended 
and  began  again,  so  did  this  exercise  of  his  devotion.  And  if 
his  first  waking  thoughts  were  of  the  world  or  what  concerned 
it,  he  would  arraign  and  condemn  himself  for  it.  Thus  he 
began  that  work  on  earth  which  is  now  his  employment  in 
heaven. ■*■ 

*  Izaak  JValtojis  Lives,  p.  401. 


PSALM  CXIX.  495 

Verse  158.  It  grieveth  ??ie  2vhen  I  see  the  transgressors,  because 
they  keep  not  Thy  law.—'  The  day  when  I  first  met  Colonel 
Gardiner  at  Leicester,  I  happened  to  preach  a  lecture  from 
Psalm  cxix.  158:  ''  I  beheld  the  transgressors,  and  7vas  grieved, 
because  they  kept  not  Thy  word:'  I  was  large  in  describing  that 
mixture  of  indignation  and  grief,  strongly  expressed  by  the 
original  word  there,  with  which  a  good  man  looks  on  the  vary- 
ing transgressors  of  the  Divine  law ;  and  in  tracing  the  causes 
of  that  grief,  as  arising  from  a  regard  to  the  Divine  honour  and 
the  interest  of  a  Redeemer,  and  a  compassionate  concern  for 
the  misery  such  offenders  bring  on  themselves,  and  for  the 
mischief  they  do  to  the  world  about  them.  I  little  thought 
how  exactly  I  was  drawing  Colonel  Gardiner's  character  under 
each  of  those  heads  ;  and  I  have  often  reflected  upon  it  as  a 
happy  providence,  which  opened  a  much  speedier  way  than  I 
could  have  expected,  to  the  breast  of  one  of  the  most  amiable 
and  useful  friends  which  I  ever  expect  to  find  upon  earth.  We 
afterwards  sung  a  hymn,  which  brought  over  again  some  of 
the  leading  thoughts  in  the  sermon,  and  struck  him  so  strongly, 
that,  on  obtaining  a  copy  of  it,  he  committed  it  to  his  memory, 
and  used  to  repeat  it  w^th  so  forcible  an  accent,  as  showed 
how  much  every  line  expressed  of  his  very  soul.  In  this  view 
the  reader  will  pardon  my  inserting  it,  especially  as  I  know  not 
when  I  may  get  time  to  publish  a  volume  of  these  serious 
though  artless  compositions,  which  I  sent  him  in  manuscript 
some  years  ago,  and  to  which  I  have  since  made  very  large 
additions  : 

'  "  Arise,  my  tenderest  thoughts,  arise, 

To  torrents  melt  my  streaming  eyes  ; 

And  thou,  my  heart,  with  anguish  feel 

Those  evils  which  thou  canst  not  heal. 

'  "  See  human  nature  sunk  in  shame  ; 
See  scandals  poured  on  Jksu's  name  ; 
The  Father  wounded  through  the  Son  ; 
The  world  abused,  and  souls  undone. 

•  "  See  the  short  course  of  vain  delight 
Closing  in  everlasting  night. 
In  flames  that  no  abatement  know, 
Though  briny  tears  for  ever  flow. 


496  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

'  "  My  God,  I  feel  the  mournful  scene  ; 
My  bowels  yearn  o'er  dying  men, 
And  fain  my  pity  would  reclaim, 
And  snatch  the  firebrands  from  the  flame. 

'  "  But  feeble  my  compassion  proves, 

And  can  but  weep  where  most  it  loves  ; 

Thy  own  all-saving  arm  employ. 

And  turn  these  drops  of  grief  to  joy."'  '* 

Celen'nus,  i)i  Cyprian's  Epistles,  acquaints  a  friend  with  his 
great  grief  for  the  apostasy  of  a  woman  through  fear  of  perse- 
cution, which  afflicted  him  so  much  that  at  the  feast  of  Easter 
(the  Queen  of  Feasts  in  the  Primitive  Church)  he  wept  night 
and  day,  and  resolved  never  to  know  a  moment's  dehght  till, 
through  the  mercy  of  God,  she  should  be  recovered.! 

Verse  164.  Seve?i  times  a  day  do  I  praise  Thee,  because  of  Thy 
righteous  judgments. — This  is  one  of  the  classical  passages  in  the 
Psalter  which  has  either  originated,  or  else  helped  to  establish, 
the  usage,  common  to  East  and  West  ahke,  of  dividing  the 
daily  office  into  seven  canonical  hours,  a  custom  which  was 
gradually  developed  out  of  the  three  stated  times  of  prayer 
which,  in  compliance  with  Jewish  custom  as  set  by  the  Prophet 
Daniel,  w^ere  adopted  by  the  Early  Christians,  and  seems  to 
have  been  known  at  the  time  when  the  Apostolical  Constitu- 
tions were  compiled,  and  certainly  at  the  period  when  the 
Ambrosian  hymns  were  written,  since  one  of  them  runs  : 

'  Ut  septies  diem  vere, 
Orantes  cum  Psalterio, 
Laudes  cantantes  Deo, 
La.ni  solvamus  debitum.' 

'  That  truly  seven  times  a  day. 

With  Psalms  and  prayer  in  glad  accord, 
Our  bounden  duty  we  may  pay. 
By  singmg  praises  to  the  Lord.':}: 


*    The  Life  of  Colonel  Gardiner,  by  Philip  Doddridge. 

t  Charles  Bridges  on  Psalm  cxix. 

X  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  150. 


PSALM  CXX.  497 


PSALM  CXX. 

Headuiir  (Delitzsch).— Cry  of  distress  when  surrounded  by 
contentious  men. 

Conients  (Syriac).— Anonymous.  The  first  Song  of  Ascen- 
sion. The  people  in  Babylon  pray  that  they  may  be  delivered, 
and  so  we  pray  that  we  may  be  delivered  from  evil  spirits. 

Origin  (Perowne).— The  first  in  the  collection  ('  Songs  of  the 
goings-up  ')  is  a  prayer  against  the  lying  tongues  of  treacherous 
neighbours,  whom  the  poet  compares,  for  their  cruelty  and 
perfidy,  to  the  savage  hordes  of  the  Caucasus  or  of  the  Arabian 
desert.  But  whether  the  Psalmist  thus  pictures  the  heathen 
among  whom  he  dwells  in  exile,  or  the  wild  tribes  with  whom 
no  treaty  can  be  kept,  by  whom  he  is  beset  on  his  way  back 
from  Babylon  to  Palestine,  or  the  Samaritans,  Arabians,  and 
others,  who  after  their  return  attempted,  by  false  representa- 
tions to  the  Persian  monarcli,  to  thwart  the  rebuilding  of  the 
temple  and  the  fortification  of  the  city,  it  is  impossible  to  say. 

Verse  i.  WJien  1 7iHis  in  trouble  I  called  upoji  the  Lord,  and 
He  heard  me. — The  greatest  trouble  that  has  shadowed  the 
history  of  the  new  Sandringham  Hall— the  illness  that  made  it 
the  centre  of  interest  for  all  England  in  the  winter  of  187 1, 
when  our  future  King  lay  here  between  life  and  death — is 
recorded  on  a  brass  lectern  erected  in  the  church  by  the 
Princess  of  Wales,  and  beaiing  the  following  inscription  : 

'  To  the  Glory  of  God, 

A  Thankoffering  for  His  Mercy, 

14th  December,  187 1. 

ALEXANDRA. 

When  1  luas  in  trouble  J  called  upon  the  Lord,  and  He  heard  me: 

Verse  3.  Sharp  arroius  of  the  mighty,  with  coals  of  juniper 
(Bible  Version). — The  special  point  to  be  drawn  out  in  the 
mention  of  'coals  oi  juniper'  is  the  inextinguishablcness  of 
such  fuel.    There  is  a  marvellous  story  in  the  Midrash  Tchillin? 

32 


498  PSALM-MOSAICS 

which  illustrates  this  very  well.  Two  men  in  a  desert  sat  down 
under  a  juniper-tree,  and  gathered  sticks  of  it,  wherewith  they 
cooked  their  food.  After  a  year  they  passed  over  the  same 
spot,  where  was  the  dust  of  what  they  had  burned,  and  remark- 
ing that  it  was  now  twelve  months  since  they  had  the  fire, 
they  walked  fearlessly  upon  the  dust,  and  their  feet  were  burned 
by  the  '  coals  '  beneath  it,  which  were  still  unextinguished.'"^ 

Ferse  4.  IVoe  is  me  that  I  am  constrained  to  dwell  with 
Mesech,  a?id  to  have  my  habitation  amo?ig  the  tents  of  Kedar.— 
Richard  Hooker's  marriage  was  not  a  happy  one,  and  this  is 
how  it  came  about.  A  Mrs.  Churchman  having  cured  him  '  of 
his  late  distemper  and  cold,'  and  that  being  'so  gratefully 
apprehended  by  Mr.  Hooker  ...  he  thought  himself  bound 
in  conscience  to  believe  all  that  she  said ;  so  that  the  good 
man  came  to  be  persuaded  by  her,  '  that  he  was  a  man  of  a 
tender  constitution  ;  and  that  it  was  best  for  him  to  have  a 
wife  that  might  prove  a  nurse  to  him  ;  such  a  one  as  might 
both  prolong  his  life,  and  make  it  more  comfortable  ;  and  such 
a  one  she  could  and  would  provide  for  him  if  he  thought  fit  to 
marry.'  And  he,  not  considering  that  '  the  children  of  this 
world  are  wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  fight ;' 
but,  like  a  true  Nathaniel,  fearing  no  guile  because  he  meant 
none,  did  give  her  such  a  power  as  Eleazar  was  trusted  with — 
you  may  read  it  in  the  Book  of  Genesis — when  he  was  sent  to 
choose  a  wife  for  Isaac  ;  for  even  so  he  trusted  her  to  choose 
for  him,  promising  upon  a  fair  summons  to  return  to  London 
and  accept  of  her  choice ;  and  he  did  so  in  that,  or  about  the 
year  following. 

Now,  the  wife  provided  for  him  was  her  daughter  Joan,  who 
brought  him  neither  beauty  nor  portion  ;  and  for  her  condi- 
tions, they  were  too  like  that  wife's  which  is  by  Solomon  com- 
pared to  a  dripping  house — so  that  the  good  man  had  no 
reason  to  '  rejoice  in  the  wife  of  his  youth,'  but  had  too  just 
cause  to  say  with  the  holy  Prophet :   '  Woe  is  me,  that  I  am  con- 

*    The  Gradual  Fsalms,  by  the  Rev.  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  138. 


PSALM  CXX.  4C)f> 

strahied  to  have  my  habitation  in  the  tetits  of  Kedar  /'  And  b)- 
this  marriage  the  good  man  was  drawn  from  the  tranquillity  of 
his  college,  from  that  garden  of  piety,  of  pleasure,  of  peace,  and 
a  sweet  conversation,  into  the  thorny  wilderness  of  a  busy 
world — into  those  corroding  cares  that  attend  a  married  priest 
and  a  country  parsonage.* 

Verse  6.  /  labour  for  peace,  but  7vhen  J  speak  unfo  them 
thereof  they  make  them  ready  to  battle.  — Ux.  Symmons,  an 
ejected  minister  in  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth,  gives  a 
singular  account  of  the  accusations  made  against  him  by  Par- 
hament,  before  whom  he  was  summoned.  '  When  I  preached 
against  treason,  rebellion,  and  disobedience,'  says  he,  'then 
they  said  no  question  but  I  meant  Pariiament ;  and  afterwards, 
when  I  preached  against  lying,  slandering,  and  malice,  this 
they  said  was  against  the  Parliament,  too ;  and  got  roe  to  be 
sent  for  up  again  by  a  pursuivant  about  the  same.  Nay,  when 
I  did  but  quote  those  words  of  our  Saviour,  "Wide  is  the  gate, 
and  broad  is  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  death,  and  many  go 
therein,"  this  they  said  was  against  the  Parliament,  because  the 
major  part  of  the  people  in  those  parts  were  for  the  same. 
When  I  quoted  that  passage  in  the  120th  Psalm,  where  David 
says  that  "//^  was  for  peace,  but  others  ivere  for  war  ;  ivhen  he 
spake  of  that  they  made  them  ready  for  battle  f'  this,  they  said, 
was  for  the  King,  and  against  the  Parliament.  When  I 
preached  against  vainglory,  upon  those  words  of  our  Saviour, 
"  I  seek  not  the  praise  of  men,"  they  said  I  preached  against  a 
particular  member,  when  I  protest  I  never  thought  of  him  all 
the  while  I  was  upon  that  subject  (that  I  know  of),  save  only 
when  I  prayed  for  my  enemies. 'f 

*  Izaak  JValton's  Lives,  Y>-  184- 
t  Percy  Anecdotes. 


500  PSALM-MOSAICS 

PSALM  CXXI. 

Headi7ig  (Delitzsch).- — The  Consolation  of  Divine  protection. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  Psalm  to  the  keeper  of  Israel. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Anonymous.  One  of  the  Psalms  of 
Ascension  from  Babylon,  also  the  promises  of  good  things. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Under  what  circumstances  the  Psalm 
was  written  is  doubtful.  Some  (as  Ewald  and  De  Wette)  sup- 
pose it  to  have  been  written  in  exile.  .  .  .  Others  (as  Hupfield) 
understand  by  'the  mountains'  in  verse  i,  not  the  mountains 
of  Palestine  at  large,  but  the  one  mountain,  or  mountain-group 
of  Zion,  as  the  dwelling-place  of  God  .  .  .  and  leave  it  an 
open  question  whether  the  Psalmist  was  in  exile,  or  merely  at 
a  distance  from  the  sanctuary. 

Others,  again,  have  conjectured  that  this  was  the  song  sung 
by  the  caravans  of  pilgrims  going  up  to  the  yearly  feasts,  when 
first  they  came  within  sight  of  the  mountains  on  which  Jerusa- 
lem stands. 

In  Chni'ch. — In  the  Sarum  Rite  this  Psalm  is  employed  in  a 
little  office  for  the  recovery  of  the  sick.  After  some  versicles, 
which  follow  this  Psalm,  it  contains  the  collect  at  the  end  of 
our  modern  Communion  Office :  '  Assist  us  mercifully,  O 
Lord.' 

In  the  Greek  Church  the  Psalms  cxxi. — cxxxiv.  are  called 
Proskyria,  -^i?  xl/^/6^,  from  the  first  words  of  Psalm  cxxi.* 

The  Whole  Psalm. — New  Year's  Day,  1885,  the  commence- 
ment of  the  last  year  of  Bishop  Hannington's  short  life,  was  the 
last  day  of  his  sojourn  m  Palestine.  It  was  spent  at  Jafta,  which 
he  describes  as  '  a  complete  sea  of  oranges.'  While  there  he  in- 
spected MissArnott's  school,  of  which  he  jots  down  the  following 
appreciatory  note  :  '  Much  pleased,  the  singing  being  especially 

*  Intei'leaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  309. 


PSALM  CXXI.  501 

good.  I  wrote  in  the  book  to  the  effect  that  this  was  the  best 
school  I  had  inspected.'  Mr.  Fitch,  writing  of  the  time  which 
he  spent  with  his  Bishop  in  Palestine,  says  :  '  How  kind  and 
gentle  he  was  to  all ;  how  considerate  for  others,  and  anxious 
not  to  give  offence,  even  where  a  rebuke  was  necessary  ;  and  so 
spiritually  minded,  walking  so  closely  with  God  !  I  shall  never 
forget  our  journey  together.  Every  morning,  often  in  the  early 
dusk,  we  would  have  prayers  together,  and  always  the  121st 
Psalm,  which  I  had  to  read.  If  the  books  had  been  packed 
away,  the  Bishop  himself  would  say  the  Psalm  by  heart. 
He  was  so  kind  and  genial,  everybody  loved  him.  Wherever 
he  went  there  was  a  brightness.  On  board  ship  all  loved  him. 
Wherever  we  went  in  Palestine  the  people  complained  their 
time  with  him  was  too  short.'  Later  on  in  the  year  we  have  the 
following  entry  in  his  diary  : 

^Sunday,  March  1st. — I  preached  from  the  text,  "What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  Jones  interpreting.  The  church  was 
quite  full,  many  sitting  outside.  Holy  Communion  afterwards 
to  thirty-four.  Fifty  candidates  are  being  prepared  for  Con- 
firmation. At  the  afternoon  service  Jones  preached  from  the 
i2ist  Psalm.  It  being  my  travelling  Psalm,  I  take  it  as  a  good 
omen. 

'  March  2nd. — Just  off  in  excellent  health  and  spirits.  "  I 
will  go  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord."  '* 

Mr.  Romaine,  it  is  said,  read  this  Psalm  every  day  ;  and  sure 
it  is  that  every  word  in  it  is  calculated  to  encourage  and 
strengthen  our  faith  and  hope  in  God.t 

Mr.  Kmgsky's  ministrations  in  church  (in  Clovclly,  of  which 
he  was  rector)  and  in  the  cottages  were  acceptable  to  Dis- 
senters as  well  as  to  Church  people.  And  when  the  herring 
fleet  put  to  sea,  whatever  the  weather  might  be,  he  would  start 
off  '  down  street  '  for  the  quay,  with  his  wife  and  boys,  to  give 

*  Life  of  Bishop  Hannington,  pp.  305,  331. 
f  Samuel  EyUs  Pierce. 


502  PSALM-MOSAICS 

a  short  parting  service,  at  which  '  men  who  worked '  and 
'women  who  wept '  would  join  in  singing  the  T2ist  Psalm  out 
of  the  old  Prayer-Book,  as  those  only  can  who  have  death  and 
danger  staring  them  in  the  face,  and  who,  '  though  storms  be 
sudden  and  waters  deep,'  can  say : 

*  To  Sion's  hill  I  lift  mine  eyes, 
From  thence  expecting  aid 
From  Sion's  hill  and  Sion's  God 
Who  heaven  and  earth  has  made.' 

Such  memories  made  this  Psalm,  in  Tate  and  Brady's 
rough  versification,  more  dear  and  speaking  to  Charles  in  after- 
life than  any  hymn,  'ancient  or  modern,'  of  more  artistic  form. 
Such  memories  still  make  the  name  of  Kingsley  a  household 
word  in  Clovelly.* 

Verse  i .  /  will  lift  up  mi?ie  eyes  unfo  the  hills  :  from  whence 
C07neth  my  help. — Fenelon  (Archbishop  of  Cambrai),  having 
been  much  misunderstood  on  the  question  of  Madame  Guyon 
and  Quietism,  in  order  to  show  what  he  really  did  hold,  gave 
to  the  world  his  book,  Alaximes  des  Saints  siir  la  Vie  Interieure^ 
which,  so  far  from  allaying  the  storm,  caused  it  to  break  forth 
with  tenfold  fury.  This  book  treats  solely  of  the  most  solemnly 
sacred  subjects  affecting  the  soul  and  God  ;  but,  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  Louis  XIV.,  who  was  endeavouring  to  atone  for  a  life 
uf  profligacy  by  a  few  words  of  bigotry,  was  condemned  by  the 
whole  Sacred  College.  The  conduct  of  Fenelon  was  beautiful 
throughout,  and  in  one  of  his  letters  to  the  Abbe  de  la  Cropte 
de  Chanterac,  his  friend,  who  represented  him  at  Rome  (the 
King  having  refused  to  let  Fenelon  himself  go  there),  he  quotes 
the  words  of  this  Psalm  :  '  Take  care  of  your  health,  and 
defend  prayer  in  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  pure  love  with  a  dis- 
interested heart.  Seek  God  only  in  defending  His  cause.  "  / 
lift  lip  ?nine  eyes  to  the  hills,  whence  cometh  my  help''  I  say 
with  Mordecai,  "  Thou  knowest  all  things,  and  thou  knowest. 
Lord,  that  it  was  neither  in  contempt  nor  pride,  nor  for  any 

*   Charles  Kingsley  s  Letters,  pp.  9,  10. 


PSALM  CXXI.  503 

desire  of  glory !"     If  God  be  satisfied,  we  ought  to  be,  what- 
ever humiliation  He  may  lay  upon  us.'* 

Str  Henry  Lawrence. — '1  he  natives  of  India  used  to  say  that 
when  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  looked  twice  to  heaven  and  then  to 
earth,  he  knew  what  to  do. 

Verse  4.  Behold,  He  that  keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber 
nor  sleep. — To  deny  sleep  to  God,  as  the  Psalmist  does — 
'  Behold,  He  that  keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep ' 
(Ps.  cxxi.  4)— is  an  image  that  beautifully  expresses  the  vigilance 
of  His  providential  care;  for  we  know  of  no  created  being  in 
the  world  that  sleepeth  not.  And  the  taunt,  therefore,  of  Elijah 
against  the  priests  of  Baal,  when  he  mocked  them  and  said, 
'  Cry  aloud,  for  he  is  a  god  ;  either  he  is  talking,  or  he  is  pur- 
suing, or  he  is  in  a  journey,  or  peradventure  he  sleepeth,  and 
must  be  awaked'  (i  Kings  xviii.  27),  is  just  and  natural.  It 
is  by  an  adoption  of  the  same  image  that,  in  Pericles,  Prince  of 
Tyre,  Cleon  says  to  his  wife  Dionyza : 

'  Our  toni;ues  sound  deep  our  woes 
Into  the  air  ;  our  eyes  do  weep,  till  lungs 
Fetch  breath  that  may  proclaim  them  louder  ;  that, 
If  )ieavcn  slumbers,  while  their  creatures  want, 
They  mav  azvake  their  helps  to  comfort  them  ' 

(Act  I.,  Sc.  iv.) 

— where  the  old  copy  reads  '  helpers.'     We  have  '  help  '  used  in 
the  same  way  in  Gen.  ii.  i8.t 

Jewish  tradition  tells  us  that  John  Hyrcanus  (i:.c.  107) 
forbade  the  Levites  to  chant  daily  in  the  synagogues  the  verse, 
*  Up,  Lord,  why  sleepest  Thou  ?'  saying,  '  He  that  keepeth  Israel 
shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep. ' 

Verse  6.  So  that  the  sun  shall  not  burn  thee  by  day,  neither  the 
moon  by  ?iight.—ln  the  Benediction  said  on  the  appearance  of 
the  new  moon.  Psalm  cxxi.  ('  I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the 

*  Life  of  Fenelott,  p.  185. 

+  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  83. 


504  PSALM-MOSAICS 

hills ')  is  one  of  the  three  Psalms  with  which  the  Benediction 
closes.  The  reason  of  this  selection  is  probably  to  be  found  in 
the  verse,  '  So  that  the  sun  shall  not  burn  thee  by  day,  neither 
the  moon  by  night.'"^ 

No7'  the  7noon  by  night. 

*  The  moon,  the  governess  of  floods, 
Pale  in  her  anger,  washes  all  the  air, 
That  rheumatic  diseases  do  abound. 't 

Verse  8.  'I'he  Lord  shall  preserve  thy  going  out,  and  thy  coming 
in,  from  this  time  forth  for  evermore. — These  words  ..xiay  be 
most  truly  taken  of  God's  protection  of  the  soul  in  its  hour  of 
departure  from  the  prison  of  this  world,  and  in  its  happy 
entrance  into  the  Paradise  of  rest.  'Therefore,'  prays  the 
Western  Church  over  her  dying  children,  '  as  thy  soul  goeth 
forth  from  the  body,  let  the  bright  host  of  angels  meet  thee  ; 
let  the  Apostles  who  shall  judge  the  world  come  unto  thee;  let 
the  conquering  army  of  white-robed  martyrs  welcome  thee  :  let 
the  lily-crowned  band  of  shining  confessors  compass  thee ;  let 
the  choir  of  rejoicing  virgins  greet  thee  ;  let  the  Patriarchs 
receive  thee  to  rest  happily  in  their  bosom  ;  let  Christ  Jesus 
look  upon  thee  in  gentleness  and  joy,  and  set  thee  for  ever 
amongst  them  who  stand  before  Him.'t 

El-Bara  is  about  one  hour  north  of  El-Hass,  and  there  the 
ruins  are  even  more  extensive  than  Hass,  and  not  less  im- 
portant. '  In  this  place  we  noticed  for  the  first  time  sacred 
inscriptions  upon  the  houses  .  .  .  these  are  curious  as  illus- 
trating the  pious  practices  of  the  age  to  which  they  belong. 
The  first  carried  my  thoughts  to  Castle  Ashby,  where  the  Latin 
version  of  the  same  inscription,  wrought  in  the  open  battlement, 
"  welcomes  the  coming  and  speeds  the  parting  guest."  "  The 
Lord  preserve  thy  coming  in,  and  thy  going  out,  fro?n  this  time 

*   The  Gradual  Psah/is,  by  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  122. 

+  Alidsum/ner  Aight's  Drea/u. 

X  Dr.  Neale's  Cotuiientary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  176. 


PSALM  CXXII.  505 

forf/i  atid  for  evermore^     This  was  on   the  hntcl  of  a  small 
house. '"^ 


Keble 


'  God  keep  thee  safe  from  harm  and  sin, 
Thy  spirit  keep  ;  the  Lord  watch  o'er 
Thy  guint^  out,  thy  coming  in, 
From  this  time,  evermore.'t 


PSALM  CXXII. 

Heading  (Dehtzsch). — A  well-wishing  glance  back  at  the 
pilgrim's  city. 

Coiitents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David— one  of  the  Psalms 
of  Ascension.  When  Cyrus  commanded  the  Captivity  to  go  up, 
and,  spiritually,  the  promise  of  good  things. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — This  Psalm  .  .  .  was  evidently  composed 
with  immediate  reference  to  one  of  the  three  yearly  festivals, 
when  the  caravans  of  pilgrims  '  went  up '  to  the  Holy  City.  .  .  . 
The  Psalm  is  called  in  the  title  a  song  of  David.  It  is 
certainly  possible  that  Psalms  written  by  him  might  be  com- 
prised in  a  collection  which  formed  a  hymn-book  for  the 
pilgrims. 

/;/  C///^;r// — This  Psalm  and  the  127th  were  appointed  in 
the  Sarum  Use  for  the  Festival  of  the  Circumcision  of  Christ.  + 

The  iihoie  Psalm. — A  Gradual  Psalm  had  the  distinction  of 
furnishing  the  very  first  words  of  the  Otifice  used  for  the 
Coronation  of  Queen  Victoria,  when  verses  i,  5,  6,  7  of 
Ps.  cxxii.  ('I  was  glad,' etc.)  formed  the  anthem  with  which  she 
was  received  on  her  entrance  into  the  Church. 

Home  mentions  from  De  Thou  that    Theodore  Zuinger  felt 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Eastern  Church:  Patriarchate  of  Autioch,  Introduction, 
p.  xxxiii. 

t   The  Psalter  in  English  Verse,  p.  254. 

+  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Covitnentary,  p.  198. 


5o6  PSALM-MOSAICS 

this  Psalm  so  appropriate  to  one  getting  near  glory,  that  he 
spent  his  last  hours  in  versifying  it  in  Latin,  for  he  could 
sing  : 

*  Per  Christi  meritum  patet 
Vitas  porta  beat?e.'* 

Verse  i.  I  was  glad  zu/ie?2  they  said  unto  me^  We  unll  go  into 
the  house  of  the  Lord.  —  A  fragment  of  a  Gradual  Psalm  forms 
part  of  the  formula  which  is  said  on  entering  the  Synagogue 
before  the  Daily  Morning  Service.  I  translate  the  whole  prayer, 
which,  it  will  be  seen,  is  made  up  entirely  of  selections  from 
the  Psalms  : — A  song  of  the  Degrees  of  David.  '  I  was  glad 
when  they  said  unto  me,  We  will  go  into  the  house  of  the 
Lord.  I  am  as  glad  of  Thy  word,  as  one  that  findeth  great 
spoils.  Hearken  to  the  voice  of  my  crying,  my  King  and  my 
God  :  for  unto  Thee  do  I  make  my  supplications.  O  Lord, 
in  the  morning  shalt  Thou  hear  my  voice ;  in  the  morning  I 
will  direct  my  prayer  unto  Thee,  and  will  look  up.  I  called 
upon  Thee  :  for  Thou  shalt  answer  me,  O  God.  Incline  Thine 
ear  unto  me,  hear  my  prayer,  j\Iy  foot  standeth  right ;  I  will 
praise  the  Lord  in  the  congregation.! 

Wolfgan^:^  Schuch,  the  martyr  of  St.  Hippolyte,  near  the  Vosges, 
was  tried  for  heresy  and  condemned  by  Bonaventure  Reuel, 
confessor  to  Duke  Antony  the  Good.  When  his  sentence  was 
made  known  to  him,  he  said  mildly:  '/  icas  glad  when  they 
said  unto  w«?.  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord' 

Gregory  Nazianzen  writeth  that  his  father  being  a  heathen, 
and  often  besought  by  his  wife  to  become  a  Christian,  had  this 
verse  suggested  unto  him  in  a  dream,  and  was  much  wrought 
upon  thereby.  \ 

St.  Francis  Solajio  was  born  at  Montietia  in  Andalusia  in 
1549,  and  twenty  years  later  he  made  his  religious  profession 

'"'  Christ  and  His  C/uirch  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,  by  A.  Bonar,  p.  386. 
+    The  Gradual  Psalms,  by  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  127. 
X  John  Trapp  (in  Treasury  of  the  Psalter). 


PSALM  CXXII.  507 

amongst  the  Franciscans.  An  extraordinary  humility  and  con- 
tempt of  himself,  and  of  worldly  vanity  and  applause,  self- 
denial,  obedience,  meekness,  patience,  and  the  love  of  silence, 
recollection,  and  prayer,  mental  and  vocal,  formed  his  character. 
Whole  nights  he  frequently  passed  without  sleep  on  the  steps 
of  the  altar,  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  in  meditation  and 
devout  prayer,  with  wonderful  interior  delight  and  devotion. 
He  was  sent  on  a  mission  to  America,  and  the  five  last  years  of 
his  life  he  preached  chiefly  at  Lima,  and  induced  the  inhaiji- 
tants  of  that  great  city,  by  sincere  repentance,  to  appease  the 
Divine  anger,  which  they  had  provoked  by  their  sins.  Before 
his  death  he  was  purified  by  a  lingering  illness,  and  in  his  last 
moments  repeated  those  words  of  the  Psalmist:  '  I  have  rcJoia\i 
in  those  things  which  have  been  said  to  nie :  We  will  go  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord.'  He  departed  this  life  on  the  14th  of  June, 
1 610,  in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age,  and  fortieth  of  his 
religious  profession.^ 

St.  Aiphonsus  Turibius  was  Archbishop  of  Lima  in  160C. 
During  a  visitation  of  his  Diocese,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  he 
fell  sick  at  Santa.  He  would  be  carried  to  the  church,  there 
to  receive  the  holy  Viaticum,  but  received  extreme  unction  in 
his  sick-bed.  He  often  repeated  those  words  of  St.  Paul,  '  I 
desire  to  be  dissolved,  and  to  be  with  Christ,'  and  in  his  last 
moments  he  ordered  to  be  sung  by  his  bedside  those  of  the 
Psalmist:  ^  I  rejoiced  in  the  things  that  ivere  said  to  nie  :  lie 
will  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.'  He  died  on  the  23rd  of 
March,  repeating  those  other  words  of  the  same  prophet:  'Into 
Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit.'! 

Verse  2.    Our  feet  shall  stand  in  tliy  gaies^  O  Jerusalem. 

'  Lo,  lowertd  Jerusalem  salute^  the  eyes  ! 
A  thousand  poiiring  fint;crs  tell  the  tale  ; 

"Jerusalem  !"  a  thousand  voices  cry. 
"All  hail,  Jerusalem  !"  hill,  down,  and  dale 
Catch  the  glad  sounds,  and  shout  "Jerusalem,  all  hail  !" '* 


*  Butler's  Lives  of  the  SaitUs  ([uly  24). 
t  J  bid.  X  Torquato  Tasso. 


5o8  PSALM-MOSAICS 

W.  Chatterion  Dix  : 

'There  are,  who  in  some  vast  Cathedral  nave 
Seek  a  brief  respite  from  the  city's  din  ; 
We,  too,  but  worship  in  the  outer  courts, 
And  may  not  go  the  mystic  shrine  within. 

'  Like  them,  we  hear  at  best  but  broken  notes 

Of  Alleluias,  which  are  clear  and  strong  : 
We  strain  our  eager  eyes,  and  only  catch 

Bright  fleeting  glimpses  of  the  white-robed  throng. 

*  We  may  not  gain  that  holiest  place  of  all, 

Nor  yet  our  feet  may  tread  its  jewelled  way  ; 
Nor  are  our  voices  tuned  to  swell  those  songs 
Which  wreathe  its  ageless  pillars  day  by  day.' 

Verses  d  to  <^.  O  pray  for  the  peace  of  Jei'iisalem  .  .  .  because 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord  our  God,  I  will  seek  to  do  thee  good. — 
The  last  four  verses  of  a  Gradual  Psalm  are  embodied  in  the 
long  meditation  formula  that  is  read  in  the  'Additional  Service' 
for  Sabbath.  I  transcribe  the  piece  as  a  specimen  of  such 
poems.  '  Rabbi  Eliezer  says  that  Rabbi  Chauma  thus  taught : 
"  Wise  men  promote  peace  in  the  world ;  as  it  is  said,  All  thy 
children  shall  be  taught  of  God,  and  great  shall  be  the  peace 
of  thy  children.  Read  not  'thy  children,'  but  'thy  builders' 
(the  letters  are  the  same  in  Hebrew).  Abundant  peace  have 
they  who  love  Thy  law  :  none  shall  obstruct  them.  May  there 
be  peace  within  Thy  walls,  and  prosperity  within  Thy  palaces  ! 
(Ps.  cxxii.  6  to  end).  For  the  sake  of  my  birth  and  friends,  I 
will  say,  Peace  be  within  thee.  For  the  sake  of  the  house  of 
the  Lord  our  God,  I  will  seek  thy  good,  and  the  Lord  will 
give  strength  unto  His  people ;  the  Lord  will  bless  His  people 
with  peace."  '^ 

PSALM  CXXHL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Upward  glance  to  the  Lord  in  times 
of  contempt. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Let  us  know  it  as  '  the  Psalm  of  the 
Eyes.' 

*   The  Gradual  Psalms,  by  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  125. 


PSALM  CXXIII. 


50V 


Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David— one  of  the  I'salms 
of  Ascension,  spoken  in  the  person  of  Zerubbabel,  Prince  of 
the  Captivity. 

Origin  (Perowne).— This  Psalm  is  either  the  sigh  of  the 
exile,  towards  the  close  of  the  Captivity,  looking  in  faith  and 
patience  for  the  deliverance  which  he  had  reason  to  hojjc  was 
now  nigh  at  hand  ;  or  it  is  the  sigh  of  those  who,  having 
already  returned  to  their  native  land,  were  still  exposed  to  'the 
scorn  and  contempt '  of  the  Samaritans  and  others,  who, 
favoured  by  the  Persian  Government,  took  every  opportunity  of 
harassing  and  insulting  the  Jews. 

In  Church. — Psalm  cxxiii.  is  sung  as  a  hymn  during  the 
Greek  Vespers.''^ 

J  he  Whole  Psalm. — x^lsted  beautifully  entitles  this  Psalm 
Oculus  Sperans,  'The  Eye  of  Hope.'t 

Verse  2.  Behold,  even  as  the  eyes  of  servants  look  unto  the 
hand  of  their  masters,  and  as  the  eyes  of  a  maiden  unto  the  hand 
of  her  mistress :  even  so  our  eyes  wait  upoii  the  Lord  our  God, 
until  He  have  mercy  upon  us. — There  are  indeed  many  occasions 
in  the  Hebrew  ritual  where  fragments  of  the  (iradual  Psalms 
are  introduced.  A  curious  example  of  this  is  found  in  the 
Service  of  Blessing  said  by  Priests,  called  in  Hebrew  'I'he 
order  of  lifting  up  of  the  hands.'  In  that  service  they  pronounce 
the  blessing  w^hich  Aaron  was  divinely  commanded  to  bless 
the  children  of  Israel  with  (Num.  vi.  24-26) : 

'  The  Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee  : 

'  The  Lord  make  His  face  shine  upon  thee,  and  be  gracious 
unto  thee  : 

'The  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give 
thee  peace.' 

But  the  method  in  which  this  blessing  is  delivered  is  peculiar. 
The  fifteen   Hebrew  words  which   compose  it   are  separately 

*  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  309. 

t   The  Book  0/  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Teruwiie,  vol.  ii.,  p.  376. 


5IO  PSALM-MOSAICS 

recited,  and  at  each  separate  word  the  congregation  respond 
with  a  verse  or  phrase  of  Scripture  appropriate  to  the  word. 
The  second  verse  of  Psalm  cxxiii.,  ^Behold,  even  as  the  eyes  of 
servants  .  .  .  mercy  upon  us,''  forms  the  response  to  the  one 
Hebrew  word  which  represents  the  phrase,  '  And  be  gracious 
unto  thee.'"* 

I  have  seen  a  fine  illustration  of  this  passage  in  a  gentleman's 
house  at  Damascus.  The  people  of  the  East  do  not  speak  so 
much  or  so  quick  as  those  in  the  West,  and  a  sign  of  the  hand 
is  frequently  the  only  instruction  given  to  the  servants  in 
waiting.  As  soon  as  we  were  introduced  and  seated  on  the 
divan,  a  wave  of  the  master's  hand  indicated  that  sherbet  was 
to  be  served.  Another  wave  brought  coffee  and  pipes  ;  another 
sweetmeats.  At  another  signal  dinner  was  made  ready.  The 
attendants  watched  their  master's  eye  and  hand,  to  know  his 
will  and  do  it  instantly.  Such  is  the  attention  with  which  we 
ought  to  wait  upon  the  Lord,  anxious  to  fulfil  His  holy  pleasure, 
our  great  desire  being,  '  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?' 

An  equally  pointed  and  more  homely  illustration  may  be 
seen  any  day  on  our  own  River  Thames,  or  in  any  of  our  large 
seaport  towns,  where  the  call-boy  watches  attentively  the  hand 
of  the  captain  of  the  boat,  and  conveys  his  will  to  the  engine- 
men,  f 

Bishop  Dupanhmp  says  :  i.  In  the  interior  fife  :  all  is  con- 
tained in  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  in  the  love  of 
souls  for  God.  The  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  consists  in 
exercises  of  piety  before  all  things,  which  must  never  be  inter- 
rupted ;  they  are  the  peaceful  and  constant  exercise  and 
nourishment  of  love  itself;  2nd,  in  private  worship  (Mass, 
thanksgiving,  frequent  visits),  and  in  public  worship  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  which  I  ought  by  all  possible  means  to 
promote  (Benedictions,  Perpetual  Adoration,  Altar  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  in  my  cathedral;  Life  of  our  Lord,  written  with 

*  The  Gradual  Psalms,  by  the  Rev.  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  125. 

t  The  Sunday  at  Home  (quoted  in  the  Treasury  of  David,  vol.  vi.,  p.  448) 


PSALM  CXXIV.  511 

fervent  love)  ;  3rd,  in  the  submission  and  entire  surrender  to 
the  will  of  God,  which  is  true  love. 

Herein  lies  the  great  resolution.  It  must  l)e  the  qucv placita 
sunt  et  facio  sejnper,  and  the  sicut  ociili  ancilUr  in  nianihus 
do/nifice  siiiC.  The  love  which  I  owe  to  our  Lord  ought  to  he 
a  love  of  entire  dependence  every  hour,  like  a  child  towards  its 
mother;  desiring  nothing  for  myself,  looking  always  to  Him 
with  detachment  and  entire  personal  disinterestedness,  to  desire 
and  to  do  only  that  which  is  pleasing  to  Him  every  moment, 
always  with  joy,  for  love,  and  by  His  grace  present  with  nie. 

Ecce  sicut  oculi  sen'orum  in  manibus  dominorum  suoruin  ita 
oculi  nostri  ad  Dominum  Deuni  ?iostruni.  At  the  least  sign, 
to  act  for  love,  with  love. 

The  love  of  souls  for  God.  My  priests  first ,  then  men  who 
are  not  sufficiently  considered  ;  the  sheep  of  my  ovik ;  by 
letters  and  by  word  of  mouth ;  souls  at  a  distance  towards 
whom  I  have  a  special  duty ;  in  short,  the  Church  and  my 
diocese  ;  but  here  begins  my  exterior  life.* 


PSALM  CXXIV. 

Z^f^^/;/^^(Delitzsch).— The  Deliverer  from  death  in  waters 
and  in  a  snare. 

Contents  (Syriac).— Anonymous.  A  Thanksgiving.  A  Psalm 
of  Ascension. 

Orinn  (Perowne). — There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this 
Psalm  records  the  feelings  of  the  exiles  when  the  proclamation 
of  Cyrus  at  length  permitted  them  to  return  to  their  native 
land. 

In  the  Jewish  CZ/wr*://.— The  joyous,  hopeful  character,  which 
has  always  been  felt  to  attach  to  the  Gradual  Psalms,  makes 
one  of  them  well  fitting  for  use  at  the  Feast  of  IHirim— the  feast 

*  Life  of  Mgr.  Dupanlottp,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  298,  299. 


512  PSALM-MOSAICS 

wherein  the  Hebrew  nation  commemorates  its  deHverance 
from  the  plot  of  Haman,  narrated  in  the  Book  of  Esther. 
Psalm  cxxiv.,  which  contains  the  verse,  'Our  soul  is  escaped, 
even  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowler,'  is  employed  on 
that  occasion.* 

The  Whole  Psahn. — This  and  the  two  following  may  be 
called  historical  Psalms. t 

Luther  composed  his  hymn  'Were  not  God  w^ith  us  at  this 
time'  (' Wjer'  Gott  nicht  mit  uns  diese  Zeit ')  after  this  Psalm. | 

Masier  John  J^itrie^  a  Presbyterian  minister,  lectured  James 
against  all  his  dangerous  practices,  including  the  acceptance 
of  some  house  from  the  Duke  of  Guise,  calling  Guise  a 
murderer  of  the  saints  and  a  messenger  of  the  Devil.  Mr. 
Durie  belonged  to  the  party  of  Lords  Mar,  Glamys  and  Lindsay, 
who  washed  to  combat  the  French  influence;  Lennox  and  Arran 
on  the  other  side.  'Lennox  could,  however,  do  nothing  but 
tear  his  beard  for  anger  as  Master  John  Durie  was  conducted 
back  to  Edinburgh  by  a  triumphal  procession  of  2,000  people 
singing  the  124th  Psalm. '§ 

Verse  6.  Our  soul  is  escaped  eveii  as  a  bird  out  of  the  s?iare  of 
the  fowler ;  the  snare  is  broken^  and  we  are  delivered. — In  the 
chambers  of  this  great  subterranean  city  (Rome),  small  apsidal 
chapels  may  be  met  with.  The  round  part  of  these,  called  the 
archosolium  (and  which  exactly  resembles  a  tomb  often  seen  in 
our  English  churches  and  crypts),  is  occasionally  ornamented 
with  foliage,  fruit  and  flowers,  lamps,  etc.,  as  are  the  divisions 
between  the  excavations,  which  we  find  in  many  instances 
covered  with  symbolical  designs  in  fresco,  such  as  birds,  intend- 
ing, no  doubt,  to  convey,  by  an  allegory  and  symbol,  the 
escape  of  the  soul,  of  which  the  Psalmist  speaks  :  '  My  soul  is 
escaped^  even  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowler ;  the  snare  is 

*  The  Gradual  Psalms,  by  Rev.  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  123. 

t   The  Piliirim  Psalms,  by  S.  Cox,  p.  154. 

X  Dr.  Tholuck's  Commentary,  p.  4. 

§  Cameos  from  English  History,  No.  clxxiii. 


PSALM  CXXV.  513 

broken,  a?id  we  are  delivered'  In  the  cemetery  of  Pretextatus, 
De  Rossi  has  lately  discovered  a  painting  on  the  roof,  of  a 
whole  nest  of  birds  in  the  middle  of  a  garland  of  roses  and  ears 
of  corn,  receiving  or  waiting  for  the  nourishment  from  their 
mother's  beak.  From  the  earliest  times  birds  were  looked 
upon  as  symbols  of  martyrs,  taking  flight,  as  they  do,  to  the 
regions  above. "^ 

The  Duke  of  Gandia,  in  the  year  1549,  claimed  a  promise  of 
being  allowed  to  retire  from  the  world,  and,  making  over  all  his 
estates  and  honours  to  his  son,  he  entered  an  order  as  Francesco 
Borja.  As  he  left  his  Castle  to  carry  out  this  long-cherished 
desire  of  joining  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits,  he  exclaimed,  '  My  soul 
is  escaped,  even  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of  tJie  fnvler'\ 


PSALM  CXXV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Israel's  bulwark  against  temptation  to 
Apostasy. 

Verse  3.  The  rod  of  the  ungodly  cometh  not  into  the  lot  of  the 
righteous. — In  our  liturgic  version  this  clause  is  thus  rendered  : 
'  The  word  of  the  ungodly  cometh  not  into  the  lot  of  the 
righteous.'  This  is  one,  and  not  the  worst  of  the  many  sad 
blemishes  which  deform  the  version  in  our  national  Prayer- 
Book.  In  short,  the  version  of  the  Psalms  in  tliat  book  is 
wholly  unworthy  of  regard,  and  should  be  thrown  aside,  and 
that  in  the  Authorized  Version  in  the  Bible  substituted  for  it. 
The  people  of  God  are  misled  by  it,  and  they  are  confounded 
by  the  great  and  glaring  differences  they  find  between  it,  and 
what  they  find  in  their  Bibles,  where  they  have  a  version  of  a 
much  better  character  delivered  to  them  by  the  authority  of 
Churcli  and   State.     Why  do  not  our  present  excellent  and 

*  Chapters  on  Early  Church  History  {Monthly  Packet,  vol.  xxii.,  p.  22). 
t  Cameos  from  English  History,  No.  cxx.\iii. 

11 


514  PSALM-MOSAICS 

learned   prelates   lay  this  to  heart,  and    take  away  this   sore 
stumbling-block  out  of  the  way  of  the  people  ?* 


PSALM  CXXVL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  Harvest  of  Joy  after  the  sowing 
of  tears. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — We  will  call  it,  '  Leading  captivity 
captive.' 

Conte?2ts  (Syriac). — One  of  the  Psalms  of  Ascension.  Anony- 
mous. Spoken  concerning  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  who  went 
up  from  Babylon  with  the  Captivity ;  and  Spiritually  the  ex- 
pectation of  good  things  to  come. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — In  domestic  life  among  the  Hebrews,  a 
Gradual  Psalm  occupies  a  foremost  position.  The  Grace 
after  Meat  is  with  them  a  somewhat  lengthy  service,  and  it 
always  opens  with  a  Psalm.  On  Sabbath  and  Holy  Days, 
Psalm  cxxvi.  is  the  one  appointed  to  be  said  ('  When  the  Lord 
tur?ied  again  the  captivity  of  Zion^).  On  the  other  days  this  is 
replaced  by  Psalm  cxxxvii.,  '  By  the  waters  of  Babylon.' 

Verse  i.  When  the  Lord  tur?ied  again  the  captivity  of  Sion, 
then  were  we  like  u7ito  them  that  dream. — So  Livy  tells  us  that 
when  the  Greeks  heard  at  the  Isthmian  games  after  the  defeat 
of  the  Macedonians  by  T.  Q.  Flamininus,  the  proclamation  of 
the  herald  that  they  should,  by  the  free  gift  of  the  Roman 
people,  retain  their  liberty,  'the  joy  was  too  great  for  men  to 
take  it  all  in.  None  could  well  believe  that  he  had  heard 
aright,  and  they  looked  on  one  another  in  wonder,  like  the 
empty  show  of  a  dream  ;  and  as  for  each  person  singly,  having 
no  confidence  in  their  own  ears,  they  all  questioned  those 
standing  nearest  to  them.  The  herald,  called  back  because 
everyone  was  anxious  not  only  to  hear  but  to  see  the  messenger 
*  Adam  Clarke's  Comme^itary,  p.  2359. 


PSALM  CXXVI.  515 

of  freedom,  repeated  the  proclamation.  Then,  when  they 
knew  that  the  good  news  was  certain,  such  applause  and  shout- 
ing was  raised  and  renewed  again  and  again,  that  it  was  easy  to 
see  that  of  all  good  things  nothing  is  dearer  to  the  people  than 
liberty.  The  games  were  then  hurriedly  gone  through,  because 
no  one's  mind  or  attention  was  bent  on  the  sight  at  all,  to  such 
a  degree  had  that  one  joy  taken  up  the  room  of  every  other 
pleasure.'"^ 

Verse  2.  T/ien  was  our  mouth  filled  ivith  lauf^hter.  It  will 
not  be  forgotten  how  the  gladness  of  the  greatest  of  Church 
festivals,  sometimes  passing  the  bounds  of  moderation,  gave 
rise  to  the  phrase  Risus  Paschales,  '  Easter  laughter.'t 

Verse  6.   They  that  sow  hi  tears  shall  reap  i?i  Joy. 

'  Go  forth  !  go  forth  to  the  labour, 
For  the  harvest  will  soon  be  here, 
With  tasselled  grain  and  ripened  fruits, 

And  golden  corn  in  the  ear  : 
"  For  they  that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy." 

'  What  boots  the  dark  clouds  above  thee 
"If  they  return  after  the  rain?" 
Go  forth  with  faith,  for  the  harvest 
Has  promised  thee  golden  grain  : 
"  For  they  that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy." 

'  For  they  that  sow  in  the  morning. 

E'en  tho'  they  sow  through  their  tears, 
Shall  reap  their  joy  in  the  evening, 

And  find  sweet  rest  to  their  cares  : 
"  For  they  that  ?ow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy." 

'  Faith,  then,  must  open  the  furrow. 

And  hope,  too,  must  drop  in  her  seed, 
Love  then  shall  gather  her  harvest. 
Go  forth  in  earnest— take  heed  : 
"  P^or  they  that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy."  '% 


*  Liv.  Hist.,  xxxiii.  32,  B.C.   196  (quoted  in  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary 
vol.  iv.,  p.  202). 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  204. 
X  Sophia  Eckley's  Poems,  p.  51. 


5i6  PSALM-MOSAICS 


PSALM  CXXVII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Everything  depends  upon  the  bless- 
ing of  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Builders'  Psalm. 

Contents  (Syriac). — One  of  the  Songs  of  Ascension  written 
by  David  concerning  Solomon,  and  intended  also  of  Haggai 
and  Zechariah,  who  forwarded  the  building  of  the  Temple. 

Origin  (Perowne). — There  is  not  a  word  in  either  (this  or 
the  next)  Psalm  to  guide  us  as  to  the  time  of  its  composition. 
The  title  gives  the  127th  to  Solomon  (only  one  other  in  the 
entire  Psalter — the  72nd — being  ascribed  to  him),  but  it  may 
be  doubted  whether  with  sufficient  reason. 

In  Church. — Psalm  cxxvii.  is  appointed  in  the  Churching  ot 
Women.* 

The  Whole  Psalm. — If  the  three  previous  songs  may  be 
called  historical  Psalms,  this  and  the  next  may  very  certainly 
be  described  as  domestic  Psalms,  f 

In  the  Title  this  Psalm  is  called  '  a  Psalm  for  Solomon '; 
i.e..,  a  Psalm  suggested  to  Solomon  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  t 

Verse  i.  Except  the  Lord  build  the  house.,  their  labour  is  but 

lost  that  build  it. — On  the  lintel  of  the  door  in  many  an  old 

English  house  we  may  still  read  the  words,  'Nisi   Dominus 

frustra,'  the  Latin  version  of  the  opening  words  of  the  Psalm. 

Let  us  also  trust  in  Him,  and  inscribe  these  words  over  the 

portal  of  'the  house  of  our  pilgrimage,'  and  beyond  a  doubt  it 

will  be  well  with  us,  both  in  this  world  and  in  that  which  is  to 

come.§ 

*  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  311. 
t    The  Pilp'im  Psalms,  by  S.  Cox,  p.  155. 
%  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Co?nfueiitary,  p.  20I. 
§   The  Pilg}-ii}i  Psalms,  by  S.  Cox,  p.  176. 


PSALM  CXXVII.  517 

Dr.  Wordsworth,  in  1850,  entered  on  the  work  of  a  country 
clergyman.  He  undertook  the  charge  of  the  parish  of  Stanford, 
in  Berkshire. 

The  first  thing  a  visitor  to  the  Vicarage  would  probably 
notice  was  the  inscription  on  a  stone  over  the  principal  door : 
'  Nisi  Dominus  cBdificaverit  domiim,  vanus  est  labor  cedificantium 
eani'  The  dining-room  ceiling  bore  on  the  sides  of  its  low 
rafters  the  words,  'Whether  ye  eat  or  drink  ...  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God  ;'  '  Speak  evil  of  no  man  ;'  '  Blessed  are  they  that 
do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,'  and  *  In  everything 
give  thanks.'  The  store-closet  contained  a  delicate  little  warn- 
ing to  the  anxious  mistress  of  the  house  in  the  words,  ^lapQa. 
^idpda,  and  the  entrance  to  the  Vicar's  study  was  headed  by 
'K^ayopd  ^ca-de  rov  Katpov,  while  round  the  bow-window  inside 
were  the  words  :  Et  rts  ^v  X/Dtcrroj  Katvrj  KTio-i^,  ra  dp)(^aLaL 
irapriXdiv ,  ISov  yeyove  Kaivd  rd  wdvTa.  Over  his  dressing- room 
door  he  had  the  text,  '  Nolumus  exspoliari  sed  supervestiri.'* 

T/ie  I.Tarquis  of  No7-thampton  s  mansion  is,  of  course,  the 
most  prominent  object  in  this  parish  (Castle  Ashby).  The 
Comptons  were  among  the  most  zealous  and  illustrious  of  the 
families  which  supported  Charles  I.  in  arms.  A  lettered 
balustrade,  formed  of  the  words  of  the  127th  Psalm,  'Nisi 
Dominus  aedificaverit '  {Except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  their 
labour  is  but  lost  that  build  it),  runs  round  the  quadrangle.! 

Verse  2.  Except  the  Lord  keep  the  city,  the  watchman  waketh 
but  i?i  vain. — One  important  lesson,  says  her  biographer,  which 
Madame  Guyon  learned  from  these  temptations  of  others — a 
lesson  as  important  as  any  which  the  nature  of  the  Christian 
life  renders  indispensable— was  that  of  her  entire  dependence 
on  Divine  grace.  '  I  became,'  she  says,  '  deeply  assured  of 
what  the  prophet  hath  said,  "  Except  the  Lord  keep  the  city,  the 
watchvian  waketh  but  i?i  vain:'  When  I  looked  to  Thee,  O  my 
Lord,  Thou  wast  my  faithful  keeper :  Thou  didst  continually 

*  Bishop  Words-worth's  Life,  p.  134. 

f  Diocesan  Histories:  Peterborough,  p.  217. 


5i8  PSALM-MOSAICS 

defend  my  heart  against  all  kinds  of  enemies.  But,  alas !  when 
left  to  myself,  I  was  all  weakness.  How  early  did  my  enemies 
prevail  over  me  !  Let  others  ascribe  their  victories  to  their 
own  fidelity ;  as  for  myself,  I  shall  never  attribute  them  to  any- 
thing else  than  Thy  paternal  care.  I  have  too  often  experienced, 
to  my  cost,  what  I  should  be  without  Thee,  to  presume  in  the 
least  in  any  wisdom  or  efforts  of  m.y  own.  It  is  to  Thee, 
O  God,  my  Deliverer,  that  I  owe  everything  !  And  it  is  a 
source  of  infinite  satisfaction,  that  I  am  thus  indebted  to 
Thee.'* 

Verse  3.  He  giveth  his  beloved  sleep. — Elizabeth  Barrett 
Browning : 

'  Of  all  the  thoughts  of  God  that  are 
Borne  inward  unto  souls  afar, 

Along  the  Psalmist's  music  deep, 
Now  tell  me  if  there  any  is 
For  gift  or  grace  surpassing  this — 
' '  He  giveth  His  beloved  sleeps  ' 

Verse  6.  Happy  is  the  man  that  hath  his  quiver  fiill  of  the^n  : 
they  shall  ?iot  be  asha^ned  when  they  speak  with  their  enemies  i7i 
the  gate. — Mr.  Merrick  mentions  a  Chinese  proverb  :  'When  a 
son  is  born,  a  bow  and  arrow  are  hung  before  the  gate.'t 

Happy  is  the  ??ia7i  that  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them. — We  may 
discover  the  tenderness  of  a  parent's  heart  in  Shakespeare's 
writings;  where  the  clown,  in  'All's  well  that  ends  well,'  quotes 
the  proverb,  'Bairns  are  blessings'  (Act  I.,  Sc.  iii.)-+ 


PSALM  CXXVIIL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — The  family  prosperity  of  the  God- 
fearing  man. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  Family  Hymn. 

*  Life  of  Madame  Giiyon^  by  Thomas  Upham,  p.  69. 
t   Bishop  Home's  Co)ni)ie7itary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  373. 
X    Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  ^.  196. 


PSALM  CXXVIII.  5,9 

Cofitefits  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  Ascension.  Anonymous. 
Intended  of  Zerubbabel,  Prince  of  Judah,  who  forwarded  the 
building  of  the  Temple  ;  in  which  is  also  indicated  the  calling 
of  the  Gentiles. 


Ill  Churc/i.—ln  the  Eastern  Church  this  Psalm  is  used  m 
the  Office  for  Matrimony.  It  is  said  in  procession,  with  a 
responsory  to  every  verse  ;  the  responsory  is  '  Glory  be  to  Thee, 
O  Lord;  glory  to  Thee.'"*^ 

It  is  also  used  in  our  own  Church  in  the  Office  for  Holy 
Marriage. 

In  the  Roman  Church  the  fifth  and  sixth  verses  of  this  Psalm 
are  the  closing  words  of  the  Confirmation  Office.  "**" 

Another  characteristic  use,  for  I  cannot  pretend  to  notice 
every  single  individual  use,  of  a  Gradual  Psalm  lies  in  the  em- 
ployment of  one  of  them  (Ps.  cxxviii.,  'Blessed  are  all  they  that 
fear  the  Lord  and  walk  in  His  ways')  in  the  weekly  office  — 
said  on  most  Thursdays  of  the  year — of  the  venerable  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Eucharist.  It  occurs  likewise  in  a  Sacramental 
aspect  at  Vespers,  at  the  Feast  of  Corpus  Christi,  with  a  para- 
phrase of  one  of  its  own  verses  as  Antiphon  :  '  As  the  olive 
branches,  may  the  sons  of  the  Church  be  round  about  the  table 
of  the  Lord.' 

A  further  employment  of  Ps.  cxxviii.,  which  has  survived  in 
our  own  Marriage  Service  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  is 
found  in  its  presence  in  the  Ancient  Service  for  Holy  Matrimony, 
where  it  was  said  without  Antiphon,  and  without  musical  ac- 
companiment. 

The  same  Psalm  is  used  in  the  Ancient  Office  for  Purification 
of  Women  after  Child-birth.  At  the  door  of  the  church  the 
rubric  ran  :  '  Let  the  Priest  and  his  minister  say  the  following 
Psalms,'  the  Psalms  in  question  being  Ps.  cxxi.,  '  I  will  lift  uj) 
mine  eyes  unto  the  hills,  from  whence  cometh  my  help,'  and 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Conunentary,  vol.  iv.,  pp.  273,  268. 


520  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Ps.  cxxviii.,  '  Blessed  are  all  they  that  fear  the  Lord  and  walk 
in  His  ways.' 

In  the  Sarum  Office  for  Confirmation  of  Children  the  fifth 
and  sixth  verses  of  Ps.  cxxviii.  were  used  at  the  close  of  office 
with  an  obvious  appropriateness  to  the  occasion.  'Lo,  thus 
shall  the  man  be  blessed  :  that  feareth  the  Lord.  The  Lord 
from  out  of  Zion  shall  so  bless  thee :  that  thou  shalt  see  Jeru- 
salem in  prosperity  all  thy  life  long.' 

They  had  been  used  in  the  Confirmation  Office  at  least  from 
the  time  of  Egbert,  Archbishop  of  York,  950,  and  are  now  in 
the  Roman  Use."^ 

The  Whole  Psalm. — -This  is  a  Song  of  the  Home,  pure 
and  simple.  It  is  the  '  Home,  sweet  Home '  of  the  Hebrew 
race.t 

Luther  calls  this  Psalm  a  fit  Epithalamium  or  Marriage  Song 
for  Christians. t 

Luther's  words  are :  '  Wherefore  to  this  Psalm  we  will  give 
this  title,  that  is  an  Epithalamium  or  Marriage  Song,  wherein 
the  Prophet  comforteth  them  that  are  married,  wishing  unto 
them  and  promising  them  from  God  all  manner  of  bless- 
ings.' 


PSALM  CXXIX. 

Headmg  (Delitzsch).  —  The  end  of  the  oppressors  of 
Zion. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Ascension.  Anonymous. 
Concerning  the  oppression  of  the  people ;  and  signifying  to  us 
the  victory  and  triumph  of  the  servants  of  God. 

Verse  6.  Let  them  be  even  as  the  grass  growing  npon  the  house- 

*   llie  Gradual  Psahns,  by  Rev.  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  102. 
t    'J he  Pilgri?n  Psalms,  by  S.  Cox,  p.  177. 
+   1  he  Speaker's  Cofn?nentary,  p.  465. 


PSALM  CA'A'.V.  521 

hyp,  which  7vithereth  afore  it  be  plucked  up. — The  word  translated 
'groweth  up  '  is  'shalaph,'  which  properly  signifies  'to  pull  up.' 
Accordingly  it  is  translated  in  the  Liturgy  Psalms  *  before  it  is 
plucked  up.'  This  is  approved  by  Maundrell  ('Journey  from 
Aleppo  to  Jerusalem  '),  who  thus  writes  : 

'  All  that  occurred  new  in  these  days'  travel  was  a  particular 
way  used  by  the  country  people  in  gathering  their  corn,  it  being 
now  harvest  time  (May).  They  ))lucked  it  up  by  handfuls  from 
the  roots,  leaving  the  most  fruitful  fields  as  naked  as  if  nothing 
had  ever  grown  on  them.  This  was  their  practice  in  places  of 
the  East  that  I  have  seen,  and  the  reason  is  that  they  may  lose 
none  of  their  straw,  which  is  generally  very  short,  and  necessary 
for  the  sustenance  of  their  cattle,  no  hay  being  here  made.  I 
mention  this  because  it  seems  to  give  light  to  that  expres- 
sion of  the  Psalmist,  "  which  withereth  before  it  be  plucked 
up,"  where  there  seems  to  be  a  manifest  allusion  to  this 
custom.'"^ 


PSALM  CXXX. 
Heading  (Delitzsch). — De  Profundis. 

Title  (Spurgeon).  —  We  name  this  the  De  Profundis 
Psalm. 

Co7iie?its  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  Ascension— Intended  of 
Nehemiah  the  Priest  ;  in  which  allusion  is  also  made  to  the 
prayer  of  the  Martyrs. 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — It  may  be  taken  as  evidence  of  the  late 
date  of  the  Psalm  that  the  word  rendered  '  attentive,'  verse  2, 
occurs  besides  only  in  2  Chron.  vi.  40,  vii.  15,  and  the  word 
'  forgiveness,'  verse  4,  only  in  Ban.  ix.  9,  Neh.  ix.  17. 

I?i  Church.— This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Sarum  Use  and 
the  Latin  Use  for  Christmas  Day,  probably  on  account  of  the 
♦  Sunday  at  Home  (1861),  p.  527. 


522  PSALM-MOSAICS 

promise  of  redemption  in  verse  8 — a  promise  fulfilled  in  Him 
whose  Name  was  to  be  called  'Jesus,  for  He  shall  save  His 
people  from  their  sins.'* 

Psalm  cxxx.  is  a  daily  Psalm  of  the  Greek  Evensong  Office. 
It  is  a  Burial  Psalm  in  the  Roman  Use.f 

It  is  also  the  second  Psalm  at  Evensong  on  Ash  Wednesday 
in  the  Church  of  England. 

The  use  of  this  Psalm  in  the  Western  Church  at  burials  and 
in  the  Office  of  the  Dead  points  to  this  sense  of  it  :  The  prayer 
of  expectant  souls,  whether  of  martyrs  under  the  altar  or  others 
further  from  their  consummation,  that  they  may  be  taken  up 
by  the  Lord  out  of  their  state  of  waiting  into  the  bliss  of  His 
presence.  | 

T/ie  Whole  Fsalm. — On  November  the  8th  the  vaults  beneath 
the  cathedral  at  Meaux  were  searched,  and  Bossuet's  coffin  was 
discovered,  placed,  as  he  had  desired,  at  the  feet  of  his  imme- 
diate forerunner,  De  Eigny. 

An  interesting  record  of  this  day  was  given  by  M.  Floquet, 
dated : 

'  FoRMENTix,  Calvados,  November  i6tk,  1854. 

'  On  my  return  from  Meaux,  after  the  discovery  and  recogni- 
tion of  Bossuet's  coffin. 

'  Returning  from  Meaux,  where  I  have  been  spending  two 
days  in  Bossuet's  cathedral,  I  feel  an  urgent  desire  to  narrate 
what  I  have  been  privileged  to  see.  There,  in  a  coffin  just 
opened,  I  beheld  the  revered  head  of  the  great  Bishop,  majestic, 
beaming,  almost  exactly  as  Rigault  painted  it  at  Germigny  in 
1 701.  I  saw  that  inspired  mouth,  ready  yet,  as  it  well  nigh 
seemed,  to  utter  those  words  of  power  which  God  had  com- 
mitted to    him.     A   limited    number   of  priests    and    laymen 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  204. 
t  Interlea7)ed  Prayer- Book ,  p.  311. 
X  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  p.  228. 


PSALM  CXXX. 


;23 


crowded  round  the  sleeping  pontiff,  gazing  eagerly  upon  him, 
waiting  awestruck,  almost  listening,  as  though  he  might  yet 
speak.  The  whole  house  of  God  was  hushed  in  reverence  and 
devotion ;  and  ere  long,  at  a  sign  given  by  the  venerable  and 
pious  successor  of  Bossuet,  who  was  visibly  moved  by  the 
spectacle,  every  one  simultaneously  followed  his  example  and 
knelt  down,  and  followed  him  in  a  loud,  fervent  />  Profundis^ 
more  striking,  more  solemn  than  ever  uttered  at  the  royal 
obsequies  of  St.  Denis.  ...'■* 

Luther  composed  his  hymn 

'  Out  of  deep  sorrow  I  cry  unto  Thee ' 
('  Aus  tiefer  Noth  schrei  ich  zu  Dir') 

after  this  Psalm. t 

Charles  V.  on  his  deathbed  had  this  Psalm  read  to  him  by 
Carranza,  Archbishop  of  Toledo. 

'When  Licther,  in  the  year  1530,  was  in  the  fortress  of 
Coburg,  on  four  occasions  during  the  night  there  seemed  to 
pass  before  his  eyes  burning  torches,  and  this  was  followed  by  a 
severe  headache.  One  night  he  saw  three  blazing  torches  come 
in  at  the  window  of  his  room,  and  he  swooned  away.  His 
servant,  coming  to  his  assistance,  poured  oil  of  almonds  into 
his  ear,  and  rubbed  his  feet  with  hot  napkins.  As  soon  as  he 
recovered  he  bade  him  read  to  him  a  portion  of  the  Epistle  of 
the  Galatians,  and  during  the  reading  fell  asleep.  The  danger 
was  over,  and  when  he  awoke,  he  cried  out  joyfully  :  "  C'ome, 
to  spite  the  devil,  let  us  sing  the  Psalm  Be  Profundis  in  four 
parts."'! 

Verse  i.  Old  of  the  deep  have  1  called  unto  Thee,  O  Lord ; 
Lord,  hear  viy  voice.  —  Bishop  Milman  of  Calcutta  died  at 
Rawul  Pindi,  a  station  about   100  miles  from  Peshawur.     At 

*  Life  of  Bossuet,  p.  586. 

t  Tholuck's  Cotnnuntary,  p.  4. 

+  Delitzsch. 


524  PSALM-MOSAICS 

the  last  his  mind  wandered  a  httle,  and  he  repeated  many 
Hindustani  prayers.  His  last  moments  are  thus  recorded  by 
Mr.  Jacob,  his  chaplain  : 

'15th. — At  7  a.m.  the  Bishop  revived  a  little  and  was  quite 
conscious.  On  my  asking  him  if  he  remembered  the  words, 
"  The  eternal  God  is  thy  refuge,  and  underneath  are  the  ever- 
lasting arms,"  he  replied,  "Yes,  eternal  God,  refuge,"  and  he 
gave  signs  of  acceptance.  I  then  said  slowly  such  other  verses 
as  "  God  so  loved  the  world,'"'  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed," 
"Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit."  Finding  he 
was  following  me,  I  began  the  ijof/i  Psabii — "  Out  of  the  deep 
have  I  called  u?ito  Thee,  O  Lord :  Lord,  hear  ?ny  Toice"" — and 
he  immediately  took  it  up,  and  said  the  second  verse  himself : 
"  O  let  Thine  ear  consider  well  the  voice  of  my  complaint.'"  I 
said  the  third  verse — "  If  Thou,  Lord,  wilt  be  extreme  to  mark 
what  is  done  amiss,  O  Lord,  who  may  abide  it  ?"' — and  the 
Bishop  responded,  '•  For  there  is  mercy  with  Thee,  therefore 
shalt  Thou  be  feared."  I  then  finished  the  Psalm,  and  the 
Bishop  said  the  Gloria  Patri  himiself.  I  knelt  down,  said  the 
first  collect  in  the  Visitation  Service,  the  Lord"s  Prayer,  and 
"  the  Grace."  The  Bishop  repeated  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
saying  "Amen"  after  the  other  prayers,  gently  raised  his  hand 
to  cover  his  eyes.  A  few  minutes  afterwards  he  was  heard 
saying:  "  The  creature  itself  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage 
of  corruption  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God." 
Then,  looking  up,  he  said  :  "When  shall  I  be  delivered  from 
this  bondage?"  "Soon,"  was  the  reply.  "How  soon?"  said 
the  Bishop  eagerly.  "Very  soon,"  was  the  answer.  And  the 
Bishop  murmured  quietly,  "The  glorious  liberty  of  the  children 
of  God,"'  then  a  few  words  in  Hindustani,  and  he  passed  quietly 
away.'* 

Verse  3.  Lf  thou,  Lord^  wilt  be  extreme  to  fnark  what  is  done 
amiss,  who  may  abide  it  1 — This  verse  is  one  of  the  great  texts 
used  by  the  Cathohcs  in  the  controversy  against  the  Novatians, 

*   The  Life  of  Bishop  Milman,  p.  363. 


PSALM  CXXX. 


525 


who,  in  an  unwise  zeal  for  the  purity  of  the  Church,  denied  all 
power  of  returning,  even  after  severe  penance,  to  those  who  had 
fallen  away  under  the  stress  of  persecution.  For,  as  they  note, 
the  Psalmist  does  not  say  '  I  cannot  abide  it,'  but  7v/io  mny 
abide  it  ] 

Seeing  that  no  man  is  safe  from  sins  which  howl  around  him, 
none  is  of  perfectly  spotless  conscience,  none  pure  in  heart, 
because  of  his  own  righteousness.* 

Verse  4.  For  there  is  mercy  with  Thee :  therefore  sJialt  Thou 
be  fuired. — Dr.  Sanderson,  sometime  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  was, 
in  1 616,  at  Oxford  chosen  Senior  Proctor.  Izaak  Walton  says 
that  at  this  time  '  the  magisterial  part  of  the  Proctor  required 
more  diligence,  and  was  more  difficult  to  be  managed,  than 
formerly,  by  reason  of  a  multiplicity  of  new  Statutes,  which 
begot  much  confusion ;  some  of  which  Statutes  were  then,  and 
others  suddenly  after,  put  into  an  useful  execution.  And 
though  these  Statutes  were  not  then  made  so  perfectly  useful  as 
they  were  designed,  till  Archbishop  Laud's  time — who  assisted 
in  the  forming  and  promoting  them — yet  our  present  Proctor 
made  them  as  effectual  as  discretion  and  diligence  could  do :  of 
which  one  example  may  seem  worthy  the  noting,  namely,  that 
if  in  his  night  walk  he  met  with  irregular  scholars  absent  from 
their  colleges  at  University  hours,  or  disordered  by  drink,  or  in 
scandalous  company,  he  did  not  use  his  power  of  punishing  to 
an  extremity,  but  did  usually  take  their  names,  and  a  promise 
to  appear  before  him  unsent  for  next  morning ;  and  when  they 
did,  convinced  them,  with  such  obligingness,  and  reason  added 
to  it,  that  they  parted  from  him  with  such  resolutions,  as  the 
man  after  God's  own  heart  was  possessed  with,  when  he  said  : 
*'  There  is  mercy  with  Thee,  and  therefore  Thou  shalt  he  feared'' 
(Psalm  CXXX.  4).  And  by  this,  and  a  like  behaviour  to  all 
men,  he  was  so  happy  as  to  lay  down  this  dangerous  employ- 
ment as  but  very  lew,  if  any,  have  done,  even  without  an 
enemy.'! 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  230. 
t  Izaak  Walton's  Lives,  p.  343. 


526  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  6.  My  soul  fleeth  U7ito  the  Loi'd :  before  the  mornifig 
watch,  I  say,  before  the  morni?ig  watch. — My  soul  {looketh)  for, 
literally,  'my  soul  is  unto  the  Lord  '  (as  in  Psalm  cxliii.  6,  'my 
soul  is  unto  Thee '),  as  the  eyes  of  watchers  through  the  long 
and  weary  night  look  eagerly  for  the  first  streaks  of  the  coming 
day. 

Delitzsch  quotes,  in  illustration  of  the  expression,  the  words 
of  Chr.  A.  Crusius  on  his  deathbed,  when,  lifting  up  his  eyes 
and  hands  to  heaven,  he  exclaimed  :  '  My  soul  is  full  of  the 
grace  of  Jesus  Christ;  my  ivhole  soul  is  ujito  God'* 

Bishop  Selwyn,  the  great  Bishop,  lay  dying  on  Tuesday, 
April  9th,  1878.  'Bishop  Abraham,  who  was  going  to  ad- 
minister Confirmation  at  a  distant  spot,  visited  his  friend 
before  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  curtains  in  his  bedroom 
were  still  drawn,  and  the  light  of  day  was  streaming  into  the 
room  through  the  openings.  Psalm  cxxx.  had  just  been  read, 
and  when  the  words  "  My  soul  fleeth  to  Thee  before  the  mornijig 
watch  "  were  uttered,  he  added,  in  tones  almost  startling  from 
their  distinctness  :  "  I  say,  before  the  morning  watch."  All 
were  struck  with  the  strong  feeling  of  thankfulness  to  God 
which  he  felt  for  the  sufferings  through  which  he  had  been 
carried. 

'The  words  in  the  Visitation  Service,  "to  be  made  like  unto 
Christ  "  in  suffering,  were  very  precious  to  him.  Amid  the 
wanderings  caused  by  bodily  weakness,  his  thoughts  were  with 
the  distant  islands  for  whom  he  had  done  so  much,  and  to 
whose  evangelization,  when  his  own  active  labours  had  ended, 
he  had  given  his  son. 

'At  one  time  he  would  exclaim,  with  kindling  eye,  "A  light 
to  lighten  the  Gentiles  ";  at  another  he  would  murmur,  "  They 
will  all  come  back,"  as,  indeed,  the  larger  portion  of  those 
Maoris  who  apostatised  have  already  returned  ;  and  then  in 
the  soft  Maori  language,  which  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  was 
famihar  to  him  as  his  mother  tongue,  he  would  say,  "  It  is  all 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  398. 


PSALM  CXXXr.  527 

light."  On  Thursday,  April  1  ith,  the  end  came.  He  had  been 
unconscious  for  hours,  but  gave  signs  of  pleasure  at  hearing 
Bonar's  hymn,  "A  few  more  years  shall  roll,"  which  had  been 
sung  at  the  consecration  of  the  burial-ground  at  the  workhouse 
at  Stoke,  and  had  much  affected  the  old  pauper  inmates. 
About  noon,  surrounded  by  those  who  loved  him  well,  who 
had  shared  his  counsels  and  his  labours  on  either  side  of  the 
globe,  the  Commendatory  prayer  having  been  said  by  Bishop 
Abraham,  he  entered  into  his  rest.  A  few  moments  there  were 
of  deep  silence,  and  then,  as  was  fitting,  all  stood  up  and 
recited  the  Apostles'  Creed,  never  more  thoroughly  realizing 
the  mystery,  or  more  thankfully  professing  faith  in  "  the  resur- 
rection of  the  body  and  the  life  everlasting."  '* 


PSALM  CXXXI. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Child-like  resignation  to  God. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — Comparing  all  the  Psalms  to  gems,  we 
should  liken  this  to  a  pearl. 

CoJitefits  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — one  of  the  Psalms 
of  the  Ascension.  Intended  of  Joshua,  the  son  of  Josedech 
the  High  Priest ;  also  concerning  humility. 

Ongi?i  (Perowne). — Whether  written  by  David,  to  whom  the 
title  gives  it,  or  not,  this  short  Psalm— one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful in  the  whole  Book — assuredly  breathes  David's  spirit. 

The  Whole  Psa///L— The  ideal  of  the  spiritual  character  in 
the  Psalter  is  crowned  by  .  .  .  traits  which  are  .  .  .  marvel- 
lously in  advance  of  their  day.  Such  are  the  broken  spirit ; 
the  broken  and  contrite  heart ;  such,  above  all,  the  character 
painted  in  that  perfect  miniature,  the  131st  Psalm. 

*  T/ie  Life  of  Bishop  Sehvyn,  p.  373. 


528  PSALM-MOSAICS 

It  is  the  abnegation  of  pride  in  its  secret  spring,  in  its  visible 
expressions,  in  its  sphere  of  action.     The  lines  of  Keble, 

'The  common  round,  the  trivial  task. 
Will  furnish  all  I  ought  to  ask,' 

are  but  the  translation   of,   'Neither  do   I   exercise  in  great 
matters.' 

He  has  diligently  lulled  the  disquietudes  and  levelled  the 
aspirations  of  the  proud  yet  grovelling  human  heart,  and  con- 
formed it  to  the  type  of  a  little  child.  The  Psalm  remained. 
It  was  like  a  string  of  a  Christian  '  Lyra  Innocentium '  placed 
among  its  chords  out  of  due  season,  silent  until  Christ  gave 
it  utterance  by  setting  a  little  child  in  the  midst,  and  saying, 
*  Except  ye  be  converted  and  become  as  little  children.'  Its 
undying  echoes  are  awakened  whenever  the  Baptismal  Gospel 
is  read  beside  a  font.  By  whomsoever  composed,  from  what- 
ever heart  this  '  Song  of  the  Upgoings  '  may  first  have  issued, 
it  is  equally  ours.  It  may  have  been,  as  modern  critics  incline 
to  think,  a  strain  of  pilgrims,  content  to  be  left  alone,  happy 
enough  in  seeing  Jerusalem.  It  may  have  been  a  Psalm  of 
David,  first  uttered  when  he  was  heart-sick  under  misrepresen- 
tations. But  Augustine's  words  are  equally  true  :  'This  should 
be  received,  not  as  the  voice  of  one  man  singing,  but  as  the 
voice  of  all  who  are  the  Body  of  Christ.  This  Temple  of 
God,  the  Body  of  Christ,  the  congregation  of  the  faithful, 
has  one  voice.  It  is  as  it  were  one  man  who  chanteth  the 
Psalms.'* 

Dr,  Wolffs  in  his  researches,  mentions  a  book,  written  by  a 
converted  Jew  in  the  East,  in  which  it  is  recommended  that, 
when  a  person  is  not  able  to  sleep,  he  should  read  this  Psalm. 
The  recommendation  is  in  harmony  with  the  quiet  and  trusting 
meekness  of  the  sacred  Poet. 

Veisc  3.  But  I  refrain  my  soul,  and  keep  it  low,  like  as  a  child 

*   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Ck7-istia7tity,'  po    119,  120. 


PSALM  CXXXII.  329 

that  is  zveanedfrom  Jiis  mother  ;  yea,  my  soul  is  even  as  a  weaned 
child.—' K^  a  weaned  child  upon  his  mother'  {i.e.,  as  he  lies 
resting  upon  his  mother's  bosom);  'as  the  weaned  child  (I 
say),  lies  my  soul  upon  me.' 

The  figure  is  beautifully  expressive  of  the  humility  of  a  soul 
chastened  by  disappointment.  .  .  .  'The  weaned  child,' writes 
a  mother,  with  reference  to  this  passage,  '  has  for  the  first  time 
become  conscious  of  grief.  The  piteous  longing  for  the  sweet 
nourishment  of  his  life,  the  broken  sob  of  disappointment, 
mark  the  trouble  of  his  innocent  heart ;  it  is  not  so  much  the 
bodily  suffering  ;  he  has  felt  that  pain  before,  and  cried  while 
it  lasted;  but  now  \\\sjoy  and contfort  are  taken  aivay,  and  he 
knows  not  why.  When  his  head  is  once  more  laid  on  his 
mother's  bosom,  then  he  trusts  and  loves  and  rests  ;  but  he 
has  learned  the  first  lesson  of  humility,  he  is  cast  down,  and 
cUngs  with  fond  helplessness  to  his  one  friend.' 

At  a  time  when  the  devices  of  our  modern  civilization  are 
fast  tending  to  obliterate  the  beauty  of  this  figure — mothers  no 
longer  doing  their  duty  by  their  children — it  seems  the  more 
necessary  to  draw  attention  to  it."^ 


PSALM  CXXXII. 

Beadifig  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  for  the  House  of  God,  and  the 
House  of  David. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Ascension.  Anonymous. 
When  the  people  sought  to  build  a  house  unto  the  Lord  of 
Sabaoth ;  also  a  prayer  of  David,  and  a  revelation  of  the 
Messiah. 

In  Church. — Psalm  cxxxii.  is  a  Proper  Psalm  for  Christmas 
Day.f 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  401. 
t  The  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  31 1. 

34 


530  PSALM-MOSAICS 

In  the  13  2nd  Psalm  the  song  mysteriously  hovers  over 
Bethlehem.  The  careful  reader,  with  the  second  Lesson  for 
Christmas  Morning  and  the  Greek  version  of  the  Psalms  be- 
fore him,  seems  to  catch  anticipations  of  St.  Luke's  narrative, 
and  to  hear  broken  snatches  of  '  Venite  adoremus '  floating  in 
the  air.* 

This  Psalm  is  appointed  to  be  used  on  Christmas  Day  be- 
cause it  declares  David's  earnest  desire  to  find  a  habitation  for 
the  Lord,  and  because  it  records  the  promise  which  God 
made  to  David,  after  he  had  brought  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  to 
the  place  of  its  rest  on  Mount  Sion.  In  that  promise  God 
assured  him  that  He  would  raise  Christ  from  the  fruit  of  his 
body,  and  would  give  everlasting  continuance  to  his  seed  and 
to  his  monarchy  in  Him.  Hence,  therefore,  the  Church  of 
England,  with  much  propriety,  adopts  these  words  on  Christ- 
mas Day  (so  likewise  the  Sarum  and  Latin  Use),  when  she 
thanks  God  for  the  fulfilment  of  that  promise  in  the  Incarna- 
tion of  the  Son  of  God.j 

Burial  of  the  Dead. — Amongst  all  the  uses  of  individual 
Gradual  Psalms,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  examples  is  the 
employment  of  Psalm  cxxxii.  as  one  of  the  Psalms  in  the 
ancient  Enghsh  Office  for  the  Burial  of  the  Dead.  Nothing 
could  surpass  the  exquisite  turn  of  meaning  given  to  the  Psalm 
by  the  Antiphon,  under  which  it  is  said  :  '  This  shall  be  my  rest 
for  ever :  here  will  I  dwells  for  I  have  a  delight  therein.^  % 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Tropologically,  also,  the  Psalm  ad- 
monishes us  to  swear  and  vow  a  vow  that  we  will  not  come 
into  the  tabernacle  of  our  house  until  within  ourselves  we  find 
a  place  for  the  Lord,  purifying  our  hearts  from  superfluous 
care,  from  inordinate  affection,  and  from  all  sloth.  It  was,  no 
doubt,  some  one,  or  perhaps  all,  of  these  last  meanings  that 

*    The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity  y  pp.  24,  25. 

t  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  206. 

X   The  Gradual  Psalms,  by  Rev.  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  97. 


PSALM  CXXXII.  531 

caused  this  one  of  the  Gradual  Psalms  to  be  selected  for  re- 
citation by  those  about  to  celebrate  the  Holy  Communion  of 
the  Lord's  Supper.  It  is  appointed  to  be  said  by  Priests  and 
Deacons  as  a  preparation  for  the  service  in  the  Divine  Liturgy, 
according  to  the  rite  and  ceremonies  of  the  orthodox  Armenian 
Church  of  St.  Gregory  the  Illuminator.* 

Ferse  4.  I  ivill  not  suffer  mine  eyes  to  sleeps  ?tor  in  me  eyelids 
to  slutnber^  neither  the  temples  of  my  head  to  take  any  rest. — 
When,  in  the  Third  Fart  of  King  Benry  VI.,  the  Earl  of 
Warwick  says  to  Richard  Plantagenet, 

'  Victorious  Prince  of  York, 
Before  I  see  thee  seated  in  that  throne, 
Which  now  the  house  of  Lancaster  usurps, 
I  vow  by  heaven  these  eyes  shall  never  close ' 

(Act.  I.,  .Sc.  i.)t 

we  need  not  doubt  that  our  poet  had  in  view  a  resolution  of 
King  David  (Ps.  cxxxii.  4). 

Verse  9.  Let  Thy  priests  be  clothed  with  righteousness^  and 
let  Thy  sai/its  sing  with  joyfulncss. — This  verse  is  one  of  those 
most  frequently  recited  by  the  Church.  Divided  into  a  Versicle 
and  Response,  it  forms  part  of  the  Ferial  Preces  of  Lauds, 
and  formerly  of  Vespers  too,  in  the  Breviary,  whence  it  has 
been  transferred  to  the  Matins  and  Evensong  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer ;  and  it  appears  also  in  various  other  forms, 
such  as  the  Prceparatio  ad  Missam^  etc. 

Christian  priests,  like  the  Jewish  ones,  are  taught  their  duly 
by  their  official  garb,  intended  to  bring  their  Master  to  their 
mind.     So  the  verses  run  : 

'  Priest,  whensoever  thou  celebratest  Mass, 
Remember,  and  devoutly  bear  in  mind, 
What  conflicts  for  thy  sake  Chkist  hath  endured. 
The  Amice  marks  Ilim  blindfolded  and  mocked, 
The  linen  vest  Him  in  white  robe  despised, 
The  Zone  and  Maniple  are  His  cruel  bonds, 
The  Stole  the  image  of  the  Cross  He  bore. 


-•-   The  Gradual  Psalms,  by  the  Rev.  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  345. 
+  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  341. 


532  PSALM-MOSAICS 

The  markrs  of  wounded  Head,  pierced  hands  and  feet, 
See  in  the  Amice,  four  times  in  the  Alb ; 
Chasuble  brings  to  mind  the  purple  robe, 
How  Christ  was  covered  with  liis  ruddy  gore. 
And  as  the  Priest  unto  the  altar  hastes, 
Think  in  a  grateful  mind  how  Christ  went  up 
To  Calvary's  mount  to  die  on  Cross  for  thee.'* 

Verses  15,  16.   This  shall  be  My  rest  for  ever ;  here  will  I 

dwell,  for  I  have  a  delight  therein. — A  recent  traveller  in  Spain 

visited  in  Cadiz  the  '  Casa  de  Misericordia.'  High  up  above 
the  wall  runs  the  inscription  : 

'  This  is  my  rest : 
Here  will  I  dwell. 

I  will  abundantly  bless  her  provision  : 
I  will  satisfy  her  poor  with  bread.' 

The  eye  and  ear  miss  two  words  in  the  first  line — '  for  ever.' 
A  recent  traveller  mentions  that,  as  he  looked  up,  the  Superior, 
with  a  smile,  explained  the  omission  :  'This  Casa  is  the  home 
of  the  poor,  but  not  for  ever.'t 

St.  Francis  de  Sales  established  an  order  called  the  '  Order 
of  the  Visitation.'  The  little  house  they  had  chosen  was  occu- 
pied for  the  first  time  (at  Annecy)  on  Trinity  Sunday,  June  6, 
1 610.  There  were  three,  Madame  de  Chantal,  sister  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Bruges,  who  was,  next  to  St.  Francis,  the  moving 
spirit  in  the  matter  ;  Mademoiselle  de  Brechard,  a  young  lady 
of  noble  birth,  from  Nivernois  ;  and  Jaqueline  Favre,  a  daughter 
of  the  Bishop's  old  friend,  the  Senateur  Favre.  During  the 
course  of  the  first  few  months  five  other  postulants  joined 
them.  These  first  three  members  of  the  community  made 
their  profession  on  the  anniversary  of  their  entry  into  their 
little  home,  the  Bishop  himself  having  taken  continued  pains 
during  that  interval  to  teach  them  and  train  their  souls  for  the 
true  religious  life.  At  last  the  day  arrived,  and  Francis  de 
Sales  professed  the  three  novices.  As  she  returned  to  her 
place,  Madame  de  Chantal  broke  forth,  without  any  premedita- 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Conimenta^y,  vol.  iv.,  p.  246. 

f   The  Witness  oj  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Cht'istianily,  p.  279. 


PSALM  CXXXIII.  533 

tion,  in  the  words  of  the  132nd  Psahn,  '  TAis  shall  be  my  rest 
for  ever  ;  here  will  I  d^vcll.for  I  have  a  delight  therein  '  ('  Hiec 
requies  mea  in  speculum  sa^cuh  ;  hie  habitabo  quoniam  elegi 
earn  '),  and  in  consequence  this  verse  has  ahvays  since  been 
used  on  similar  occasions  in  the  Order  of  the  Visitation.* 

.  Pope  Gregory  X.  had  called  a  General  Council,  the  second 
of  Lyons,  with  a  view  of  extinguishing  the  Greek  schism,  and 
raising  succour  to  defend  the  Holy  Land  against  the  Saracens. 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas  was  directed  by  the  Pope  to  be  present, 
and  defend  the  '  Catholic  cause  against  the  Greek  schismatics.' 
He  grew  ill  on  the  way,  and  *  was  forced  to  stop  at  Forsa- 
Nuova,  a  famous  abbey  of  the  Cistercians,  in  the  diocese  of 
Terracina,  where  formerly  stood  the  city  called  Forum  Appii. 
Entering  the  monastery,  he  went  first  to  pray,  before  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  according  to  his  custom.  He  poured  forth 
his  soul  with  extraordinary  fervour,  in  the  presence  of  Him 
who  now  called  him  to  His  kingdom.  Passing  thence  unto 
the  cloister,  which  he  never  lived  to  go  out  of,  he  repeated 
these  words  :   '  This  is  my  rest  for  ages  7vithout  end'\ 


PSALM  CXXXHL 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Praise  of  brotherly  fellowship. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  benefit  of  the  Communion  of  Saints. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David— one  of  the  Psalms 
of  Ascension.  Understood  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  who  dwelt  in 
a  tabernacle  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  in  which  there  is  also 
allusion  made  to  a  perfect  people. 

Origin  (Perowne).— There  is  not  a  syllable  in  the  Psalm 
which  can  lead  us  to  any  conclusion  respecting  its  date.  Such 
a  vision  of  the  blessedness  of  unity  may  have   charmed  the 


*  JAffofS.  Francis  dc  Sales,  p.  196. 
t  Lives  of  the  Saints,  by  Alban  Butler. 


534  PSALM-MOSAICS 

poet's  heart,  and  inspired  the  poet's  song  at  any  period  of  the 
national  history. 

In  Church.  —  With  an  obvious  propriety,  Psalm  cxxxiii. 
('  Behold,  how  good  and  joyful  a  thing  it  is,  brethren,  to  dwell 
together  in  unity ')  was  said  in  the  Sarum  office  at  the  anointing 
of  a  Bishop  in  his  consecration,  with  two  of  its  own  verses  for 
an  Antiphon,  which  was  to  be  repeated  after  every  verse  of  the 
Psalm. 

The  Antiphon  was  as  follows  :  The  ointment  on  the  head, 
which  ran  down  unto  the  beard,  even  Aaron's  beard,  which 
ran  down  to  the  border  of  his  garment.  The  Lord  com- 
manded His  blessing  for  evermore."^' 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Hej'der  says  of  this  exquisite  little  song, 
that  'it  has  the  fragrance  of  a  lovely  rose.'t 

Verse  i.  Behold.,  how  good  and  joyful  a  thmg  it  is.,  drethre?t, 
to  dwell  together  i7i  unity. — It  may  surely  be  received  as  a 
special  blessing,  granted  to  their  continual  prayer,  that  even  in 
the  darkest  years  of  the  Commonwealth  the  family  of  Gidding 
were  never  deprived  of  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church. 

'  Where  shall  we  now  receive  Viaticum  with  safety  ?  How 
shall  we  be  baptized?  For  to  this  pass  is  it  come,  sir,'  wrote 
John  Evelyn,  in  1655,  to  his  'ghostly  father,'  Jeremy  Taylor. 
'  The  Shepherds  are  smitten,  and  the  sheep  must  of  a  necessity 
be  scattered,  unlesse  the  greate  Shephearde  of  Soules  oppose, 
or  some  of  his  delegates  reduce  and  direct  us.  Deare  sir,  we 
are  now  preparing  to  take  our  last  sad  farewell  (as  they  threaten) 
of  God's  service  in  this  citty,  or  anywhere  else  in  pubUque.  I 
must  confess  it  is  a  sad  consideration,  but  it  is  what  God  sees 
best,  and  to  what  we  must  submitt.  My  comfort  is,  Deus 
providebit' 

In  the  tiny  church  at  Gidding,  hidden  by  its  sheltering 
woods,  the  edict  of  'Julianus  Redivivus,'  as  Evelyn  terms 
Cromwell,  could  perhaps  be  safely  disregarded;  if  it  were  not 

*   The  Gradual  Psalms,  by  Rev.  H.  T.  Armfield,  p.  104. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  410. 


PSALM  CXXXIII. 


535 


SO,  at  least  in  the  great  parlour,  or  the  oratories  sanctified  by 
years  of  nightly  intercession,  the  holy  Mysteries  might  still  be 
celebrated  by  the  faithful  friend  who  for  so  many  years  had 
fed  that  little  flock  with  the  Bread  of  Life. 

The  remaining  members  of  the  family  still  clung  together. 

'  My  dear  swete  sister,'  writes  Susannah  Chedly  (formerly 
Susannah  Mapletoft)  to  Virginia  Ferrar,  in  1650,  'the  blessed 
Psalm  saifh,  it  is  a  joyful  thing  luhen  brethren  dwell  together  in 
unity,  as  I  am  sure  you  do'''' 

Augustine  says  of  this  first  verse,  that  the  very  sound  of  it  is 
so  sweet  that  it  was  chanted  even  by  persons  who  knew  nothing 
of  the  rest  of  the  Psalter.  He  also  says  that  this  verse  gave 
birth  to  monasteries  ;  it  was  like  a  trumpet-call  to  those  who 
wished  to  dwell  together  as  brethren  (fratres  or  friars). t 

I?i  the  legend  of  St.  Brendan  searching  for  the  'land  promised 
to  the  Saints,'  we  read  he  came  to  a  little  island  :  'The  isle  was 
very  small,  about  a  furlong  round  ;  a  bare  rock,  and  so  steep 
that  the  saint  and  his  companions  could  find  no  landing-place. 
But  at  last  they  found  a  creek,  into  which  they  thrust  their 
boats.  They  then  discovered  a  very  difficult  ascent,  up  which 
the  man  of  God  climbed,  bidding  them  wait  for  him,  for  they 
must  not  enter  the  isle  without  the  hermit's  leave.  And  when 
he  came  to  the  top  he  saw  two  caves,  with  mouths  opposite 
each  other,  and  a  small  round  well  before  the  cave's  mouth. 
As  he  went  to  one  entrance,  the  old  man  came  out  of  the 
other,  saying  :  '  Behold,  how  good  atui  joyful  a  thing  it  is, 
brethren,  to  dwell  together  in  unity,'  and  bade  him  call  up  the 
brethren  from  the  boat.  And  when  they  came  he  kissed  them, 
and  called  them  each  by  his  name.  Whereat  they  marvelled 
not  only  at  his  spirit  of  prophecy,  but  also  at  his  attire,  for  he 
was  all  covered  with  his  locks  and  beard,  and  with  the  hair  of 
his  body  down  to  his  feet.  This  old  man  was  Paul  the 
Spiritual,  and  he  told  them   that   he   had  been  nourished  at 

*  Life  of  Nicholas  Ferrar,  p.  315. 

t  The  Book  of  Psalvis,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  11.,  [i.  411- 


536  PSALM-MOSAICS 

St.  Patrick's  monastery  for  fifty  years,  and  that  he  took  care  of 
the  cemetery ;  and  how,  when  one  day  he  was  digging  a 
grave,  an  old  man  appeared,  and  bade  him  go  down  to  the  sea, 
and  he  would  find  a  boat,  which  would  take  him  to  a  place 
where  he  must  wait  for  the  day  of  his  death;  and  how  he 
landed  on  that  rock,  and  thrust  the  boat  off  with  his  foot,  and 
it  went  swiftly  back  to  its  own  land;  and  how  on  the  very 
first  day  a  beast  came  to  him  walking  on  its  hind-paws,  and 
between  its  fore-paws  was  a  fish,  and  some  grass  to  make  a 
fire,  and  laid  them  down  at  his  feet ;  and  on  every  third  day 
for  twenty  years,  and  every  Lord's  day,  a  little  water  came  out 
of  the  rock,  so  that  he  could  drink  and  wash  his  hands ;  and 
how,  after  thirty  years,  he  had  found  these  caves  and  fountain, 
and  had  fed  for  the  last  sixty  years  on  nought  but  the  water 
thereof. 

For  all  the  years  of  his  life  were  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and 
henceforth  he  awaited  the  day  of  his  judgment,  in  that  his  flesh  ; 
and  then  he  took  that  water,  and  they  received  his  blessing, 
and  kissed  each  other  in  the  peace  of  Christ,  and  sailed 
southward."^ 

Savonarola. — During  the  onslaught  on  the  convent  of  St. 
Mark  by  the  people  of  Florence,  the  Vicar  (Savonarola)  and 
some  of  the  brethren  were  still  before  the  altar  in  prayer, 
sometimes  ministering  to  the  wounded  and  dying.  While 
Herico  (a  German  brother)  is  discharging  his  arquebus  from 
the  pulpit,  and  stones  and  sticks  are  flying  in  all  directions, 
there  is  a  youth  wounded  to  death  borne  into  the  choir, 
Domenica  (a  Fra,  who  suffered  with  Savonarola),  murmuring  as 
he  dies,  happy  in  dying  near  his  beloved  teacher :  '  Quanto  e 
dolce  ai  fratelli  ritrovarsi  insieme '  {Behold^  how  good  and 
pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  togefher.)j 

Verse  3.  Like  as  the  dew  of  Her7?ion. — The  similitude  of  the 
dew  has  taken  shape  in  a  legend.     An  old  pilgrim   narrates 

*   The  Her7)iits,  by  Charles  Kingsley,  p.  274. 

t    The  Life  of  Savonarola^  by  Rev.  W.  Clark,  p.  360. 


PSALM  CXXXIV.  537 

that  every  morning  at  sunrise  a  handful  of  dew  floated  down 
from  the  summit  of  Hermon,  and  deposited  itself  upon  the 
Church  of  St.  Mary,  where  it  was  immediately  gathered  up  by 
Christian  leeches,  and  was  found  a  sovereign  remedy  for  all 
diseases.  It  was  of  this  dew  he  declares  that  I  )avid  spoke 
prophetically  in  this  Psalm.  ^  -w^  >u>^  l\.>-o^  )c'u*+-^ji  cv^' 


PSALM  CXXXIV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Night-watch  greeting,  and  counter- 
greeting. 

Contents  (Syriac).  —  A  Psalm  of  David  —  concerning  the 
Priests  whom  he  appointed  to  attend  the  ministry  of  the  Lord 
by  night ;  and,  spiritually,  the  doctrine  of  life. 

Ill  Church. — Psalm  cxxxiv.  was  used  at  the  close  of  the 
Greek  Nocturns,  and  was  also  the  last  Psalm  at  Compline. f 

There  are  some  facts  which  seem  specially  to  connect  tlie 
Gradual  Psalms  with  the  close  of  the  day.  The  last  of  them 
(this  one),  e.g.,  both  in  the  Ancient  English  Rook  and  in  the 
Roman  Breviary,  forms  the  last  Psalm  of  the  Compline  Office, 
and  thus  has  the  honour  of  furnishing,  day  by  day,  the  invari 
able  cadence  of  that  long  sequence  of  Psalm  and  Canticle 
which  formed  the  thread  of  every  day's  devotion  in  the  ancient 
Church.  + 

This  Psalm  is  also  used  in  the  Orthodox  Eastern  Church,  in 
the  Liturgy  of  St.  Chrysostom..^ 

The  Whole  Psalm.— T\\^  Christian  use  of  this  Psalm  at 
Compline,  both  in  the  East  and  \\'est,  is  meant  to  remind 
those  religious  who  recite  it  at  the  time  when  others  are  going 

*  Itinerary  of  S.  Anthony  (Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  413). 
t    The  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  313. 
X   The  Gradual  Psalms,  l)y  the  Rev.  T.  Armfield,  p.  94- 
§  Dr.  Neale's  Com?nentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  269. 


538  PSALM-MOSAICS 

to  rest  until  the  next  working  day  begins,  that  they,  as  God's 
servants,  have  not  ended  their  service,  but  still  have,  later  on 
in  the  night,  to  stand  in  His  house  and  praise  Him  in  the 
midnight  office  of  Nocturns  and  Lauds.  So  runs  the  hymn  at 
the  Matins  of  Wednesday  : 

'  Mentes  manusque  tollimus 
Propheta  sicut  noctibus 
Nobis  gerendum  praecipit, 
Paulusque  gestis  censuit. 

'  We  lift  our  hearts,  we  lift  our  hands 
By  night  time,  as  with  his  commands 
The  Prophet  urgeth  us  to  do, 
And  Paul's  example  taught  us  too.'* 


PSALM  CXXXV. 

Heading  (DeYitzsch). — Four- voiced  Hallelujahs  to  the  God 
of  Israel,  the  God  of  Gods. 

Conte?its  (Syriac). — Anonymous.  In  its  spiritual  sense  to  be 
understood  of  a  soul  that,  conscious,  hymns  in  trance,  while 
waking  in  union  with  the  Trinity.  In  which  there  is  also  an 
allusion  to  the  conversion  of  the  people  of  the  Messiah  to  the 
Faith. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Delitzsch  styles  this  Psalm  a  Mosaic, 
made  up  for  the  most  part  of  pieces  selected  from  other 
Psalms,  and  from  the  prophetical  writings.  Psalms  xcvii.  and 
xcviii.  are  specimens  among  the  Psalms  of  similar  compila- 
tions. 

The  Polyeleos. — Psalms  cxxxv.  and  cxxxvi.,  said  together,  are 
called  by  the  Greeks  the  Polyeleos,  from  the  continued  repe- 
tition in  the  latter  of  the  mercy  of  GoD.f 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Go7ninentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  263. 
t   The  Speaker's  Commentary ^  p.  474. 


PSALM  CXXXVI.  539. 

Verse  3.   O praise  the  Lord,  for  the  Lord  is  gracious:   O  si/i- 
praises  luito  His  ?iame,  for  it  is  lovely. 

*  Come,  lovely  Name  !  appear  from  forth  the  bright 

Regions  of  peaceful  light ; 
Look  from  Thine  own  illustrious  home, 
Fair  King  of  names,  and  come  : 
Leave  all  Thy  native  glories  in  their  gorgeous  nest, 
And  give  Thyself  awhile  the  gracious  guest 
Of  humble  souls  that  seek  to  find 

The  hidden  sweets 

Which  man's  heart  meets 
When  Thou  art  master  of  the  mind, 

'  Come,  lovely  Name  !  life  of  our  hope, 
Lo,  we  hold  our  hearts  wide  ope  ; 
Unlock  Thy  cabinet  of  day, 
Dearest  sweet,  and  come  away.'* 


PSALM  CXXXVI. 

Lleading  (Delitzsch). — O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  He- 
is  good. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Anonymous.  Understood  of  Moses  and 
Israel  singing  praises  to  the  Lord  on  account  of  them  that  were 
delivered.  Also  concerning  the  redemption  of  souls  from 
Gehenna,  from  the  power  of  Satan,  by  the  Messiah  our  Saviour, 
their  Deliverer. 

The  Whole  Psalm.  —According  to  an  oM  rule  of  writing 
observed  in  some  of  the  most  ancient  of  MSS.,  the  two  lines  of 
the  verses  ought  to  be  arranged  each  in  a  separate  column,  or, 
as  the  phrase  runs,  '  half-brick  upon  half-brick,  brick  upon 
brick. 't 

A  Battle-song. — As  an  example  of  a  Psalm  being  used  as  a 
battle-song  may  be  mentioned  the  victory  of  Jchosaphat  over 
the  Ammonites  in  the  wilderness  of  Tekoah,  when  the  Priests 
and  Levites  advanced  singing  the  136th  Psalm,  and  the  enemies 
turned  and  fled,  dying  by  the  hand  of  God  ;  and  we  read  of 
the  army  of  Judas  Maccabceus  singing  the  same  Psalm  after 

*  Name  offesiis,  by  Crashaw. 

t   I'he  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Terowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  420. 


540  PSALM-MOSAICS 

they  had  discomfited  Georgias  and  all  his  host(i  Mace.  iv.  24). 
See  also  2  Mace.  x.  t,^,  xv.  29."^ 

St.  Athanasius.  —  On  the  night  of  Thursday,  the  9th  of 
February,  358,  Athanasius  with  his  congregation  was,  after 
the  manner  of  the  Coptic  Church,  keeping  vigil  through  the 
whole  night  in  the  Church  of  St.  Theonas  in  preparation  for 
the  Eucharist  of  the  following  day.  Suddenly  at  midnight 
there  was  a  tumult  without.  The  church,  which  was  of  unusual 
size,  was  surrounded  with  armed  men.  The  presence  of  mind 
for  which  he  was  famous  did  not  desert  the  Bishop.  Behind 
the  altar  was  the  episcopal  throne.  On  this  he  took  his  seat, 
and  ordered  his  attendant  deacon  to  read  the  ij6th  Fsal?n, 
which  has  for  every  verse  the  response,  '  For  His  mercy 
€ndureth  for  ever.'  It  was  while  these  responses  were  being 
thundered  forth  by  the  congregation  that  the  doors  burst  open, 
and  the  imperial  general  and  notary  entered  at  the  head  of  his 
soldiers.  The  soldiers  were  for  the  moment  terror-struck  by 
the  chanting  of  the  Psalm.  But  as  they  pressed  forward,  a 
shower  of  arrows  flew  through  the  church.  The  swords  flashed 
in  the  light  of  the  sacred  torches,  the  din  of  their  shouts 
mingled  with  the  rattle  of  their  arms.  The  wounded  fell  one 
upon  another,  and  were  trampled  down  ;  the  nuns  were  seized 
and  stripped,  the  church  was  plundered.  Athanasius  had 
refused  to  go  till  most  of  the  congregation  had  retired,  but  now 
he  was  swept  away  in  the  crowd.  (A  mob  has  in  all  ages,  and 
amongst  all  shades  of  ecclesiastical  party,  been  a  ready  instru- 
ment for  theological  agitators  against  their  opponents.  Of 
all  mobs,  the  Alexandrian,  whether  heathen  or  Christian,  was 
the  most  terrible.  On  this  occasion  it  was  united  with  the 
soldiers.)! 

The  Great  Hallel. — This  Psalm,  with  its  twenty-six  utter- 
ances of  'His  mercy  endureth  for  ever,'  is  sometimes  called 
'  the  Great  Hallel.'l 

*  Historical  Battle-songs  {Monthly  Packet,  vol.  xxvi.,  p.  307). 

t  Stanley's  Eastei-n  Church,  p.  239. 

X  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commetitary^  p.  210. 


PSALM  C XXXV I.  54, 

The  Rabbins  say  that  the  Psahn  consists  of  twenty-six  verses 
(the  27th  is  not  in  Hebrew  nor  LXX.),  because  that  is  exactly 
the  number  of  generations  recorded  in  the  Pentateuch  between 
the  Creation  of  the  World  and  the  giving  of  the  T>aw  on  Mount 
Sinai.* 

Verses  7,  8,  9.  Who  hath  made  great  lights.  .  .  .  The  sun  to 
7ule  the  day.  .  .  .  The  mooti  a?id  the  stars  io  govern  the  flight: 
for  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever. — This  passage  of  the  Psalter 
was  made  a  great  battlefield  during  the  strife  of  the  subject  of 
Investitures  which  raged  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries, 
as  it  was  argued  that  the  Church  and  State,  especially  the 
Empire,  were  the  two  great  lights  of  the  heavens,  but  that  the 
Church,  as  the  Sun,  had  rule  over  all  that  belonged  to  spiritual 
questions,  the  day  ;  while  the  State,  deriving  its  authority  from 
God  through  the  Church,  was  but  as  the  inoon.,  restricted  in  its 
rule  to  temporal  questions,  matters  of  the  night  only,  and  was 
therefore  incompetent  to  encroach  on  the  privileges  of  the 
hierarchy  in  matters  of  patronage.! 

Verse  13.  Who  divided  the  Red  Sea  in  two  parts. — The  word 
two^  inserted  by  the  Prayer-Book  in  verse  13,  is  not  in  the 
Hebrew,  nor  in  the  other  versions.  There  is  a  Rabbinical 
tradition  that  the  number  of  channels  into  which  the  Red  Sea 
was  parted  was  twelve,  so  as  to  give  a  separate  line  of  march  to 
each  tribe.; 

Between  verses  16  and  17  the  Arabic  interpolates  : 

'  And  made  waters  flow  from  the  solid  rock  : 
For  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever.' 

This  is,  however,  of  no  authority,  and  may  have  originally 
been  the  pious  amplification  of  some  reader  who  felt  that  these 
were  but  samples  of  God's  many  mercies.     Like  that  devout 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  28S. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  291. 
X  Ibid.,  p.  293. 


542  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

soul  who  said  to  a  friend  that  we  might,  in  the  very  spirit  of 
this  Psahn,  give  thanks  for  affliction,  singing : 

'  To  Him  who  withered  our  gourds  : 
For  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever.'* 


rSALM  CXXXVII. 

Heading  (Dehtzsch). — By  the  rivers  of  Babylon. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — An  opalesque  Psalm  within  whose  mild 
radiance  there  glows  a  fire  which  strikes  the  beholder  with 
wonder. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David.  The  words  of  the 
Saints  that  were  carried  away  captives  to  Babylon. 

Origin  (Perowne). — There  can  be  no  doubt  whatever  as  to 
the  time  when  this  Psalm  was  written.  It  expresses  the  feel- 
ing of  an  exile  who  has  but  just  returned  from  the  land  of  his 
captivity.  In  all  probability  the  writer  was  a  Levite,  who  had 
been  carried  away  by  the  armies  of  Nebuchadnezzar  when 
Jerusalem  was  sacked  and  the  Temple  destroyed,  and  who 
was  one  of  the  first,  as  soon  as  the  edict  of  Cyrus  was  pub- 
lished, to  return  to  Jerusalem. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — Odd  Metrical  English  Versions  of  this 
Psalm. — An  amusing  chapter  of  the  curiosities  of  our  literature 
might  be  compiled  of  the  various  whimsical  metrical  English 
versions  of  the  Psalms  which  have  been  made  from  time  to 
time.  Perhaps  not  many  readers  even  of  Notes  and  Queries 
are  aware  that  a  portion  of  the  137th  Psalm  has  been  adapted 
to  Sapphic  measure  as  follows  : 

Fast  by  thy  stream,  O  Babylon,  reclining, 
Woebegone  exile,  to  the  gale  of  evening 
Only  responsive,  my  forsaken  harp  I 

Hung  on  the  willow. 

*  Christ  and  His  CJmrch  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,  by  A.  Bonar,  p.  414. 


PSALM  CXXXVII.  r,. 

'  Gushed  the  big  teardrops  as  my  soul  remembered 
Zion,  thy  mountain  paradise,  my  country  ! 
When  the  fierce  bands  Assyrian,  who  led  us 
Captive  from  Salem, 

'Claimed,  in  our  mournful  bitterness  of  anguish, 
vSongs  and  unseasoned  madrigals  of  joyance  : 
Sing  the  sweet-tempered  carol  that  ye  wont  to 
Warble  in  Zion. 

*  Dumb  be  my  tuneful  eloquence,  if  ever 
Strange  echoes  answer  to  a  song  of  Zion  : 
Blasted  this  right  hand,  if  I  should  forget  thee, 
Land  of  my  fathers  !' 

This  curious  essay  is  copied  from  the  Panoramic  Miscellany  ; 
or,  Monthly  Magazine  of  Literature,  Science  and  Art,'  vol.  i., 
1826  ;  possibly  Southey's  youthful  Jacobin  effusions  in  Sapphic 
measure,  so  admirably  and  withal  so  mercilessly  parodied  by 
Canning,  may  have  suggested  the  idea  of  attempting  to  improve 
upon  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  by  adapting  one  of  the  Psalms 
to  the  same  kind  of  rhyme  ;  but  however  this  may  have  been, 
it  can  hardly  be  allowed  that  the  result  as  above  is  very 
fehcitous.* 

Canteens,  the  national  poet  of  Portugal,  calls  this  Psalm 
the  Psalm  of  pious  patriotic  memory. 

Among  poetic  paraphrases  of  Psalm  cxxxvii.,  may  I  refer  to 
Crashaw's  in  Steps  to  the  Temple  (164S),  and  Lord  Bacon's  in 
Certaijie  Fsalmes  (1625),  the  one  lovely,  the  other  dignified  ?t 

Verse  i.  By  the  waters  of  Babylon  we  sat  do'wn  and  7vept. — St. 
Vincent  of  Paul,  being  captured  by  pirates  whilst  on  a  voyage, 
was  sold  as  a  slave.  He  was  at  length  bought  by  a  renegade 
Christian,  who  had  several  Turkish  wives.  One  of  these, 
having  a  great  admiration  for  Christianity,  went  often  into  the 
field  where  Vincent  was  digging,  and  asked  him  to  sing  the 
praises  of  God.  In  compliance  with  her  recjuest,  he  chanted 
often  with  tears  in  his  eyes  the  Psalm  so  appropriate  to  his  sad 
condition,  'By  the  waters  of  Babylon  ive  sat  down  and  wept' 

*  Notes  and  Queries,  vol.  xii.  {5th  series),  p.  43. 

t    The  Book  of  Fsalms,  by  Rev.  T.  K.  Cheyne,  p.  346. 


544  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

This  woman,  although  still  a  Mahommedan  herself,  reproached 
her  husband  so  bitterly  with  having  relinquished  so  excellent  a 
religion,  that  he  resolved  to  escape  to  France  with  Vincent  de 
Paul,  and  was  soon  afterwards  received  back  again  into  the 
Church. 

Verses  2,  4.  As  for  our  harps  we  hanged  them  iip^  upon  the 
trees  that  are  therein.  .  .  .  How  shall  we  sing  the  Lord's  song 
in  a  stra?ige  land? — Jeremiah  the  prophet  returned  to  Jerusalem, 
and  accompanied  his  unfortunate  brethren,  who  went  out 
almost  naked.  When  they  reached  a  place  called  Bet  Kuro, 
Jeremiah  obtained  better  clothing  for  them.  And  he  spoke 
to  Nebuchadnezzar  and  the  Chaldeans,  and  said  :  'Think  not 
that  of  your  own  strength  you  were  able  to  overcome  the 
people  chosen  of  the  Lord  ;  'tis  their  iniquities  which  have 
condemned  them  to  this  sorrow.' 

Then  the  people  journeyed  on  with  crying  and  moaning 
until  they  reached  the  rivers  of  Babylon. 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  said  to  him  :  '  Sing,  ye  people,  play 
for  me — sing  the  songs  ye  were  wont  to  sing  before  your  great 
Lord  in  Jerusalem.' 

In  answer  to  this  command,  the  Levites  hung  their  harps 
upon  the  willow-trees  near  the  banks  of  the  river,  as  it  is 
written,  '  Upon  the  willow  in  her  midst  had  we  hung  up  our 
harps.'' 

Then  they  said :  '  If  we  had  but  performed  the  will  of  God, 
and  sung  His  praises  devoutly,  we  should  not  have  been 
delivered  into  thy  hands.  Now,  how  can  we  sing  before  thee 
the  prayers  and  hymns  that  belong  only  to  the  One  Eternal 
God  ?  as  it  is  said,  How  should  we  sing  the  song  of  the  Lord 
on  the  soil  of  the  strafiger  f  "^ 

Verse  4.  How  shall  we  sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  struftge 
land? — It  is  one  of  the  pathetic  touches  about  the  English 
captivity  of  King  John  11.  of  France,  that,  once  sitting  as  a 

*    Talmud,  p.  321. 


PSALM  C XXX VI I. 


545 


guest  to  see  a  groat  tournament  held  in  his  lionour,  he  looked 
on  sorrowfully,  and  being  urged  by  some  of  those  about  him 
to  be  cheerful  and  enjoy  the  splendid  pageant,  he  answered 
with  a  mournful  smile,  '  How  shall  ivc  sin^  the  Lord's  song  in 
a  strange  landT'-'' 

Verse  ^.  If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning. — Cunning  :  subst.  skill ;  adject,  knoiving, 
skilful : 

'  Let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cuntiing.' 

Ps.  cxxxvii.  5. 

'  In  our  sports  my  better  cunnmg  faints 
Under  his  chance.' 

Ant.  and  Cleop.,  Act  II.,  Sc.  iii. 

'Aholiab,  a  r«««z;/_cr  vvorkman  and  embroiderer.' 

Exod.  xxxviii.  23. 

'  To  cunning  men 
I  will  be  very  kind  and  liberal.' 

Taming  of  the  Shrew,  Act  I.,  Sc.  i.f 

In  the  Bible  we  read  :  '  If  I  forget  thee,  O   Jerusalem,  let 
my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning.' 
So  in  King  Henry  V.  : 

*We  therefore  have  great  cause  for  thankfulness, 
And  shaW/orget  the  office  of  onr  hand 
Sooner  than  quittance  of  desert  and  merit.' 

Act  II.,  .Sc.  ii.:^ 

Pope  Gregory  X.  at  his  enthronement  quoted  the  words, 
If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cujining,  referring  to  his  hopes  of  sending  forth  a  new  Crusade. 

Verse  6.  (A.V.)  If  I  prefer  ?iot  Jerusalem  above  my  chief 
joy, — The  last  prayer  of  St.  Polycarp,  and  of  our  own  Arch- 
bishop Whitgift  was,  '  Pro  Ecclesia  Dei.'§ 

*  Polydore  Virgil,  1555. 

t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  34. 

X  Ibid.  (Appendix),  p.  378. 

§  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  212. 

35 


546  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verse  9.  Blessed  shall  he  be  that  taketh  thy  children^  and 
throweth  them  against  the  stones. — Byron  in  his  metrical  version 
of  this  Psalm  has  omitted  the  clause  containing  the  prayer  for 
Jerusalem's  retribution,  at  the  end  of  the  Psalm  ;  several  others 
have  done  the  same,  while  some,  especially  among  the  old 
poets,  have  developed  it  more  expressively  than  fidelity 
required. 

It  may  be  hoped  that  in  our  day  no  person  could  be  found 
fanatic  enough  to  derive  from  the  verse  alluded  to,  a  pre- 
ceptive meaning,  as  was  done  in  the  time  of  Cromwell. 
Stephen  Marshall,  one  of  the  authors  of  Sniectymmius^  preach- 
ing in  1641,  says:  'What  soldier's  heart  would  not  start 
deliberately  to  come  into  a  subdued  city,  and  take  the  little 
ones  on  a  spear's  point,  to  take  them  by  the  heels,  and  beat  out 
their  brains  against  the  wall !  Yet  if  this  work  be  to  revenge 
God's  Church  against  Babylon,  he  is  a  blessed  man  that  takes 
and  dashes  the  little  ones  against  the  stones.'  God's  Church, 
the  Presbyterian  ;  Babylon,  The  Church  of  England."^ 


PSALM  cxxxvni. 

Headi7ig  (Dehtzsch). — The  Mediator  and  Perfecter. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Written  by  David.  A  Thanksgiving  with 
Prophecy. 

Origin  (Perowne). — According  to  the  Hebrew  title  this  is  a 
Psalm  of  David.  The  LXX.  have  added  to  this  title  the  names 
of  Haggai  and  Zechariah  (roi  Aaul^,  \\yyaio-j  %ai  Zayapio\)\ 
which  would  seem  to  show  that  the  translators  were  not  satisfied 
with  the  traditional  view  as  to  the  authorship  of  the  Psalm,  and 
would  rather  refer  it  to  a  time  subsequent  to  the  Exile.  So  far 
as  the  Psalm  itself  is  concerned,  we  have  no  clue  to  guide  us ; 
neither  the  language  nor  the  allusions  will  warrant  any  con- 
clusions as  to  date  or  authorship. 

*  Bowles,  Life  of  Bishop  Ken^  vol.  i.,  p.  118  (quoted  by  Holland,  p.  286). 


PSALM  CXXXrX.  547 

In  the  Jeivish  Church.— ''Yo  this  day  the  Hel)re\v.s  in  every 
country  of  their  exile  and  dispersion  have  continued  to  observe 
the  9th  day  of  the  month  Ab  (which  corresponds  with  our  25th 
day  of  July),  in  memory  of  both  the  first  and  second  destruction 
of  their  city  and  synagogue;  next  to  the  great  Day  of  Atone- 
ment, it  is  the  most  strictly  kept  of  all  their  fasts.  Even  on 
the  previous  day  the  pious  Israelite  takes  nothing  beyond  what 
absolute  necessity  requires.  He  seats  himself  on  the  ground 
either  at  home  or  in  the  synagogue,  by  the  dim  light  of  a  small 
candle,  and  the  evening  service  commences  with  the  138th 
Psalm.  Mournful  and  penitential  Psalms  are  chanted  in  suc- 
cession throughout  the  day  (every  Hebrew  day  begins  at 
sunset)."^ 

In  Church. — In  the  Greek  Church  the  coronation  of  the 
bridegroom  and  bride,  which  is  appointed  to  follow  the 
espousals,  begins  with  the  138th  Psalm,  sung  by  the  priest,  the 
people  responding  at  the  end  of  each  verse,  '  Glory  to  Thee, 
our  God,  glory  to  Thee.'f 

Psalms  cxxxviii.  to  cxlv. — These  eight  Psalms  are  the  devout 
Israelite's  Manual  oi private  prayer  and  praise.  J 


PSALM  CXXXIX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Adoration    of   the    Omniscient   and 
Omnipresent  One. 

Contents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David  ;  when  one  who  was 

called  Shimei,  the  son  of  Gera,  cried  out  and  reproached  him 

because  he  had  rebelled,  saying,  '  O  thou  shedder  of  blood '; 

and  in  its  spiritual  sense,  theological    truth   and  prayer  with 

supplication. 

*  Israel  and  the  Gentiles,  by  Dr.  I.  Da  Costa. 
t  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  205. 
:*:  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary. 


548  PSALM.MOSAICS 

Origi?i  (Perowne). — The  Psalm  both  in  the  Hebrew  and  LXX. 
is  ascribed  to  David.  In  some  copies  of  the  latter  it  is  also  said 
to  be  a  Psalm  of  Zechariah,  with  the  further  addition  by  a 
second  hand  of  the  words  '  in  the  dispersion,'  which  Origen 
tells  us  he  found  in  some  MSS.  The  strongly  Aramaic  colour- 
ing of  the  language  certainly  makes  it  more  probable  that  the 
Psalm  was  written  after  the  Exile  than  before. 

The  Whole  Psabn. — The  contemplation  of  Nature  in  the 
Psalms  is  distinguished  by  three  characteristics — (i)  grandeur, 
(2)  spiritual  transparency,  (3)  religious  reflection. 

It  is  distinguished  by  grandeur. 

It  is  often  said  that  the  discovery  of  Copernicus  has  de- 
troyed  the  traditional  way  of  looking  at  heaven.  The  assertion 
is  undoubtedly  true  if  by  traditional  is  meant  mediceval^  but 
it  is  not  true  if  by  traditional  is  meant  Biblical.  Think  of  the 
ample  spaces  which  must  have  extended  before  the  spirit  of  him 
who  said  in  the  139th  Psalm  : 

'  If  I  took  the  wings  of  the  dawn, 
And  made  my  home  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea.' 

Think  of  the  eighth  Psalm,  with  the  vastness  of  its  concep- 
tions : 

'  Thy  heaven,  the  work  of  Thy  fingers, 
The  moon  and  the  stars  which  Thou  hast  ordained.' 

Let  science  reach  as  far  as  it  will,  the  Psalmists  see  the  undis- 
covered margin  beyond.  It  may  have  been  this  feature  in  the 
Psalms  which  made  them  so  dear  to  Murchison — who  was  not 
without  doubt  and  hesitation  as  to  some  things  in  Scripture — 
which  drew  from  him  smiles  and  tears  when  his  lips  could 
not  frame  words,  and  the  pencil  no  longer  obeyed  his  feeble 
hand."^ 

Thojnas  Erski-ne,  of  Linlathen,  touched  on  the  139th  Psalm 
with  its  description  of  the  penetrating  omniscience  of  God. 

*    The  Wilness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity^  p.  196. 


PSALM  CXXXIX.  549 

'  That  is  the  Psahn  which  I  should  wish  to  have  before  me  on 
my  death-bed.'* 

TAe  Franklin  Expedition.— \\.  could  have  been  no  haphazard 
accident  that,  when  the  relics  of  the  Franklin  Expedition  were 
exhibited  at  the  museum  of  the  United  Service  Club,  a  Prayer- 
book,  one  of  the  articles  recovered,  lay  open  at  this  Psalm. f 

It  may  be  that  the  striking  description  of  Divine  Providence, 
which  we  read  in  Troilus  and  Cressida,  is  pitched  too  high  for 
heathen  characters  ;  but  if  admissible  there  at  all,  it  could  not 
be  better  placed  than  it  is  in  the  mouth  of  Ulysses : 

'The  providence  that's  in  a  watchful  state, 
Finds  bottom  in  the  uncomprehensive  deeps  ; 
Keeps  place  with  thought,  and  almost,  like  the  goJs, 
Dues  thoughts  unveil  in  their  dumb  cradles.' 

Act  III.,  Sc.  iii. 

In  a  note  upon  this  passage,  Mr.  Henley  asks,  '  Is  there  not 
here  some  allusion  to  the  sublime  description  of  the  Divine 
Omnipresence  in  the  139th  Psalm  ?'| 

'  This  Psalm  is  very  glorious,'  says  Ibn  Ezra  ;  'in  these  five 
books  there  is  none  like  it.'  Julius  Hammer's  metrical  transla- 
tion and  Merrick's  paraphrase  have  caught  its  spirit,  and  that  is 
the  chief  point,  for  the  debased  Hebrew  of  the  original  is  not 
worthy  of  the  noble  thoughts..^ 

Verse  6.    Whither  shall  I  go  then  from  Thy  presence  ? 

'  Where  shall  I  fly  ?     What  dark  untrodden  path 
Will  lead  a  sinner  from  his  Maker's  wrath  ? 
Alas  !  where'er  I  bend  my  outcast  way, 
His  eye  can  search,  His  mighty  hand  hath  sway. 

'  Is  there  no  island  in  the  depths  of  space, 
No  distant  world,  where  I  may  shun  His  chase? 
Ah,  no  !  of  all  He  is  the  spring  and  suul  : 
All  feel  His  care,  all  own  His  high  control. 


*  Letters  of  Thomas  Erskine,  p.  455. 

t  Housman  on  T/ie  Psalms,  p.  300. 

X  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  103. 

§  The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Rev.  T,  K.  Cheyne,  p.  349- 


550  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

*  But  there  is  night  ; — perhaps  her  murky  womb 
May  wrap  and  hide  me  in  its  depths  of  gloom  ! 
No  ;  He  that  says,  "  Be  light,  and  there  is  light," 
Can  look  Omniscience  through  the  dimmest  night. 

*  Give  me  then  morning's  wings  :  I'll  fling  me  where 
The  desert  waste  ne'er  claims  His  eye  or  care. 
Vain  hope  !     If  He  were  absent,  conscience  then 
Would  act  the  GoD,  and  scare  me  back  to  men. 

'  Well,  then,  the  ocean  :  she  my  head  shall  hide, 
And  quench  His  bolts  in  her  o"ershekering  tide. 
Fool  I  the  dark  waves  cleave  wide  at  His  command, 
And,  lo  !  He  walks  them  as  He  walks  the  land. 

'What  say  the  rocks?     Stern  marble,  ope  thy  breast 
And  lock  me  in  to  monumental  rest. 
Vain,  vain  !   His  voice  the  rocks  have  often  heard  ; 
Nay,  worlds  dissolve  before  His  lightest  word. 

'Be  death,  then,  mine  !     At  least  the  grave,  or  hell. 
Will  yield  some  sullen  nook  where  I  may  dwell, — 
No  !  the  last  trump  shall  burst  the  bars  of  death, 
And  God's  stern  presence  felt  wakes  hell  beneath. 

'  Where,  then,  to  flee?     How  shun  His  arm.  His  eye? 
Where  find  what  earth,  and  heaven,  and  hell  deny  ? 
How  pass  beyond  His  infinite  patrol, 
Who  fills,  pervades,  informs  the  mighty  whole? 

'  O,  where  to  flee  ?     There  is  but  one  retreat, 
'Tis  that  which  brings  me  contrite  to  His  feet, 
A  change  of  heart,  and  not  a  change  of  place. 
That  flees  from  Justice,  to  the  arms  of  Grace. 

'The  Saviour  calls,  "Come,  trembler,  to  My  breast; 
Beneath  My  Cross  thou  may'st  securely  rest  ; 
Washed  in  My  Blood,  thy  guilt  will  all  remove, 
And  wrath  eternal  grow  Eternal  Love."  '* 

Sophia  F.  A.  Caufield : — 

'  "Flee  from  Thy  Presence?"     Life  were  little  worth 
As  some  poor  waif  and  stray  on  this  cold  earth. 
The  inner  chambers  of  my  soul  are  dim, 
But  were  like  night  itself  deprived  of  Him  ! 

'How  could  I  flee  Thee,  ever  present  found? 
Or  Thy  blest  hosts  my  soul  encamped  around? 
How  could  I  flee,  in  Whose  dread  Hand  I  lie? 
Poor  atom,  in  Thy  vast  infinity  ! 

*  I  cannot  hide, — nor  would  Thy  creature  seek 
Its  life  apart  from  Thee.     Dear  Master,  speak 
With  sweet  familiar  Voice  to  this  poor  soul  — 
For  at  Thy  Feet  my  bliss,  my  rest,  my  goal  !' 

*  Poems,  by  Rev.  F.  H,  Lyte,  p.  56. 


PSALM  CXXXIX.  551 

Verse  7.  If  /  climb  np  mto  heaven,  Thou  art  there  ;  if  I  ^o 
down  to  hell,  Thou  art  there  also. — On  the  death  of  Captain 
Hedley  Vicars,  who  was  killed  in  a  sortie,  Canon  Kingsley 
writes  to  Miss  Marsh  : 

'Bideford,  May  9,  1855. —  •  •  •  These  things  are  most 
bitter,  and  the  only  comfort  which  I  can  sec  in  them  is  that 
they  are  bringing  us  all  face  to  face  with  the  realities  of  human 
life,  as  it  has  been  in  all  ages,  and  giving  us  sterner,  and  yet 
more  loving,  more  human,  and  more  Divine  thoughts  about 
ourselves  and  our  business  here,  and  the  fate  of  those  who  are 
gone,  and  awakening  us  out  of  the  luxurious,  frivolous,  unreal 
dream  (full,  nevertheless,  of  harsh  judgments,  and  dealmgs 
forth  of  damnation),  in  which  we  have  been  living  so  long,  to 
trust  in  a  living  Father  who  is  really  and  practically  govern- 
ing this  world,  and  all  worlds,  and  who  willeth  that  none 
should  perish — and  therefore  has  not  forgotten,  or  suddenly 
begun  to  hate  or  torment,  one  single  poor  soul  which  is  passed 
out  of  this  life  into  some  other,  on  that  accursed  Crimean  soil. 
All  one  in  our  Father's  hands  ;  and,  as  David  says,  "  Though 
they  go  down  into  hell,  He  is  there.  Oh,  blessed  thought ! 
more  blessed  to  me  at  this  moment  (who  think  of  the  many 
than  of  the  few)  than  the  other  thought,  that  though  they 
ascend  into  heaven  with  your  poor  lost  hero.  He  is  there 
also  .   .  .'"^ 

Verse  11.    The  darkjiess  is  110  darkness  with    Thee,  l>ut  the 

night  is  as  clear  as  the  day.—Zi.  Newman's   fine  verses  on 

Sleeplessness,  beginning : 

'  Unwearied  God,  before  whose  face 
The  night  is  clear  as  day.' 

Verse  12.  Thou  hast  covered  me  in  my  mother's  womb.— 
Bishop  Dupanloup  of  Orleans  visited  his  home  after  twenty 
years'  absence.  It  was  not  without  emotion  that  he  set  foot 
once  more  on  his  native  soil.      His  old  great-uncle,  the  Cure, 

*  Life  of  Charles  Kingsley,  vol.  i.,  p.  335- 


552  PSALM-MOSAICS 

v/ho  was  no  longer  at  St.  Francis,  but  at  QEllieres,  near  Annecy, 
received  him  with  the  greatest  joy.  At  Annecy  he  astonished 
everybody  by  the  fidelity  of  his  recollections  ;  he  went  back- 
wards and  forwards  everywhere  without  requiring  a  guide,  and 
would  see  all  his  old  familiar  spots  on  the  border  of  the  lake. 
Menthon,  Talloires,  the  Marquisat,  la  Puya,  the  house  of  la 
Fran^on,  the  fountain  Aix,  Haute  Combe,  the  Mont  du  Chat, 
the  Valley  of  Salanche,  even  up  to  Mont  Blanc  !  Nor  did  he 
forget  St.  Felix.  On  visiting  the  church  where  he  had  been 
baptized,  he  expressed  a  deep  feeling  of  gratitude.  '  Here,' 
he  exclaimed,  '  I  received  the  first  great  blessing,  and  since  ! 
Be7iedictus  J 'eus !  Te  Deiim  !  Misei'ej-e  I  Tu  es  Dens,  siis- 
ceptor  mens  ab  utero  P  But  he  was  not  alone,  and  so  could  not 
give  vent  to  all  his  feehngs  ;  he  writes  :  '  I  advise  all  those  who 
revisit  their  home  after  twenty  years'  absence  to  do  so  alone, 
and  unknown.  Men  overpower  one  at  such  times — they  don't 
understand  one — and  they  feel  nothing  which  piety  suggests  in 
these  moments.'^ 

Verse  21.  Bo  not  I  hate  them,  O  Lord,  that  hate  Thee  ? — The 
whole  life  of  a  Jew  is  devoted  to  the  carrying  out  of  this  law, 
or  mitsvah,  and  the  celebration  of  the  youth's  coming  of  age  as 
a  bar-mitsvah  is  simply  his  initiation  into  the  Law.  He  now 
counts  for  an  adult  in  public  worship  .  .  .  during  morning 
prayer  he  is  expected  to  recite  the  thirteen  fundamental  articles 
of  the  Jewish  faith,  which  were  framed  in  the  Middle  Ages  by 
Maimonides,  a  Spanish  Jew  of  immense  learning,  known  as 
the  author  of  a  book  called  '  More  Nebuchim,'  or  '  Guide  to 
the  Erring.' 

'Whosoever,'  says  Maimonides,  'shall  believe  all  these  fun- 
damental articles  to  be  true,  enters  into  the  bosom  of  Israel, 
and  is  entitled  to  receive  from  us  all  those  demonstrations  of 
brotherly  love  and  goodwill  which  God  has  enjoined  us  to 
show  to  each  other.  .  .  .  But  if  any  man  shall  deny  one  of 

*  Life  of  Mgr.  Diipanloup,  Bishop  of  Orleans,  p.  ^^. 


PSALM  CXL.  553 

these  fundamental  articles,  he  is  fallen  from  the  bosom  of 
Israel,  he  denies  a  foundation  of  the  faith,  and  is  to  be 
esteemed  a  heretic,  an  Epicurean,  and  a  destroyer  of  plants, 
wherefore  we  are  bound  to  persecute  him  with  every  odium  and 
injury  according  to  the  Psalmist,  "  S/ia//  not  I  hate  him,  O  God, 
that  hateth  Thee  /"  '"^ 


PSALM  CXL. 

Headifig  (Delitzsch). — Prayer  for  protection  against  wicked, 
crafty  men. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  Cry  of  a  Hunted  Soul. 

Co?tte?its  (Syriac).  —  Written  by  David  when  Saul  cast  a  javelin 
at  him  to  slay  him,  and  it  entered  the  wall ;  and,  spiritually, 
the  word  of  him  that  cHngeth  unto  God,  and  contendeth  with 
them  that  hate  Him. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  general  strain  of  the  Psalm  is  like- 
that  of  many  which  occur  in  the  earlier  Books,  and  like  them 
it  is  ascribed  to  David.  .  .  .  The  impression  left  upon  the 
mind  in  reading  this  and  the  two  following  Psalms  is  that  they 
are  cast  in  David's  vein,  and  in  imitation  of  his  manner,  rather 
than  written  by  David  himself 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  for  the  Eve  of 
Christ's  Passion  in  the  Latin  and  Sarum  Use.f 

Verse  lo.   Let  hot  bnruing  coals  fall  upon  them. 

'  O  I  war,  thou  son  of  Hell, 
\\  horn  an^ry  /heavens  do  make  theii-  minister., 
Throw  in  the  frozen  bosom  of  our  part 
Hot  coals  of  vengeance  !' 

King  Henry  VI.,  2nd  Part,  Act  \'..  Sc.  ii. 


*  Pictures  from  Je-wish  Life  {Sunday  at  Home,  1877,  p.  140). 
f  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  216. 


554  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Mr.  Steevens  has  remarked  that  the  last  phrase  is  Scriptural, 
and  he  quotes  Ps.  cxl.  lo  in  the  Prayer-book  version  : 
'  Let  hot  burning  coals  fall  upon  them.'* 


PSALM  CXLL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Evening  Psalm  in  the  times  of 
Absalom. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David,  as  he  mused  in  the 
ministry  of  the  evening  ;  also  of  the  prayers  of  him  that  is 
perfect  in  God. 

Origin  (Perowne). — It  has  been  usual  to  accept  the  Inscrip- 
tion which  assigns  the  Psalm  to  David,  and  to  assign  it  to  the 
time  of  his  persecution  by  Saul.  Delitzsch,  with  more  proba- 
bility, refers  the  Psalm  to  the  time  of  Absalom's  rebellion. 

Iji  Churcii.-—ln  the  Roman  Church,  at  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
Psalm  cxli.  2,  3,  4,  at  censing  the  Altar,  is  recited  secretly  by 
the  Priest.t 

Psalms  cxli.  and  cxlii.  were  used  in  the  Greek  Evening 
Service  daily.:}: 

In  the  early  Christian  Church  this  Psalm  began  Daily  Even- 
song, as  Psalm  Ixii.  began  Daily  Matins. § 

This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Latin  Use  for  the  Eve  of 
Christ's  Passion. || 

Verse  2.  Let  ??iy  prayer  be  set  forth  in  Thy  sight  as  the  incense, 
and  let  the  lifting  up  of  my  hands  be  an  evening  sacrifice. — This 
Psalm  the  Author  of  Constitutions  calls  emphatically,  Tov 
'E-T/Xu;^v/Gv  l^cCKiifh^  the  Evenifig  Fsalm^  in  the  place  where  he 
ascribes  the  order  of  the  Service. 

*  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  286. 

t  Dr.  Neale's  Conmientary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  271. 

X    The  Interleaved  Prayer-Book,  p.  317. 

§   Housman  on  The  Psalms,  p.  300. 

y  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Conunentary,  p.  216. 


PSALM  CXLI. 


555 


St.  Chrysostom  in  his  commentary  upon  the  Psalms,  takes 
notice  of  the  use  of  it  in  the  Church  upon  this  particular 
occasion.  '  Hearken  diligently,'  says  he  ;  '  for  it  was  not 
without  reason  that  our  fathers  appointed  this  Psalm  to  be 
said  every  evening,  not  barely  for  the  sake  of  that  single 
expression,  ^  Let  the  lifting  up  of  my  hiuids  be  an  evetiing 
sacrifice,''  for  other  Psalms  have  expressions  of  the  same  nature, 
as  that  which  says,  '  At  evening,  and  morning,  and  noonday, 
will  I  show  forth  Thy  praise ;'  and  again,  '  Weeping  may 
endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning.'  And 
many  other  such-like  Psalms  may  one  find  that  are  proper  for 
the  evening  season.  Therefore  our  fathers  did  not  order  this 
Psalm  to  be  said  on  account  of  this  expression  ;  but  they 
appointed  the  reading  of  it  as  a  sort  of  salutary  medicine  to 
cleanse  us  from  sin  ;  that  whatever  defilement  we  may  have 
contracted  throughout  the  whole  day,  either  abroad  in  the 
market,  or  at  home,  or  in  whatsoever  place,  when  the  evening 
comes,  we  might  put  it  all  off  by  this  spiritual  charm  or  song, 
which  is  medicine  to  purge  away  all  such  corruption.* 

Verses  i,  2,  3,  4.  Let  my  prayer  be  set  forth  in  Thy  sight  as 
the  incense. — During  the  forty-nine  days  of  Lent,  the  service  is 
widely  different  from  that  of  the  rest  of  the  year.  Another 
exception  to  the  usual  course  of  the  service  is  the  singing  an 
Anthem  before  the  ambon,  which  is  generally  performed  by 
the  readers  and  the  choristers  ;  but  any  of  the  congrc-;ation 
who  wish  to  sing  it  may  do  so,  always  supposing  that  they  are 
all  to  do  it  well,  or  at  any  rate  passably.  The  words  are  taken 
from  the  141st  Psalm,  in  the  following  order: 

'  Let  my  prayer  be  set  forth  in  Thy  sight  as  the  incense  :  and 
let  the  lifting  up  of  my  hands  be  an  evening  sacrifice.' 

'  Lord,  L  call  upon  Thee,  haste  Thee  unto  me  :  and  consider 
?ny  voice  when  L  cry  unto  Thee.' 

'  Set  a  watch,  O  Lord,  before  my  mouth  :  and  keep  the  door  oj 
my  lips.' 

*  Bingham,  vol.  iv.,  p.  575. 


556  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'  O  let  not  viiiie  heart  be  inclined  to  any  evil  thing :  let  me 
710 1  be  occupied  in  ungodly  works! 

Each  verse  is  repeated  by  the  choir,  who,  with  the  con- 
gregation, kneel  during  the  repetition.  The  melody  of  this 
anthem  is  very  sweet,  and  the  effect  of  the  whole  very  striking.* 

Verse  3.  Set  a  ivatch^  O  Lord^  before  my  mouthy  and  keep  the 
door  of  my  lips. — That  was  a  wise  saying  of  Xenocrates,  who 
was  asked  why  he  had  made  no  answer  to  one  that  reviled 
him  :  '  I  have  often  had  to  repent  of  having  spoken,  but  never 
of  beins  silent.'t 


PSALM  CXLII. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Cry  sent  forth  from  the  prison  to  the 
best  of  friends. 

Co nte fits {^yv\2ic). — APsalm  of  David — concerning  thefamine 
that  continued  three  years  on  account  of  the  iniquity  of  Saul, 
Spiritually,  the  words  of  the  Agonists  and  the  supplication  and 
prayer  that  bringeth  us  near  to  God. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  is  the  last  of  the  eight  Psalms 
which,  according  to  their  Inscriptions,  are  to  be  referred  to 
David's  persecution  by  Saul.  .  .  .  Whether  this  Psalm  is 
written  only  in  imitation  of  David's  manner,  or  whether  it  is  a 
genuine  work  of  David's,  extracted,  perhaps,  from  some  his- 
tory, and  added,  at  a  time  subsequent  to  the  Exile,  to  the  pre- 
sent collection,  it  is  impossible  now  to  determine. 

Jji  CJmrch. — In  this  Psalm  we  seem  to  be  listening  to  the 
words  of  Christ  on  the  Cross.  It  is  therefore  appointed  in 
the  Sarum  Use  and  Latin  Use  for  the  eve  of  Good  Friday. 

Verse  i.  I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with  my  voice  ;  yea,  even  unto 
the  Lord  did  L  make  my  supplication. — St.   Bonaventura  says  : 

*  Sketches  of  the  GrcECO- Russian  Church,  p.  125. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Covimejitary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  338. 


PSALM  CXLIL  557 

'And  as  all  the  brethren  surrounded  him  (St.  Francis  of 
Assisi),  he  extended  his  hands  over  them  in  the  form  of  a 
Cross,  crossing  his  arms  in  the  form  of  that  sign  wliich  lie  had 
ever  loved  ;  and  so  he  blessed  all  his  brethren,  whether  present 
or  absent,  in  the  Name  and  in  the  power  of  the  Crucified. 
"Farewell,  my  children,  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,'  he  said. 
"  Great  tribulations  and  temptations  will  come  upon  you, 
but  blessed  are  they  who  persevere  in  the  work  which  they 
have  begun  ;  and  now  go  to  God,  to  whom  I  commend  you 
all."  .  .  .  When  he  had  said  all  he  had  to  say,  he  commanded 
the  Gospels  to  be  brought  to  him,  and  the  passage  to  be  read 
beginning,  "  Ante  diem  festum  paschal  "  (Before  the  Feast  of 
the  Passover),  the  beginning  of  the  13th  chapter  of  St.  John. 

'  When  the  reading  was  ended,  he  began  with  his  broken  and 
feeble  voice  to  sing,  "  Voce  mea  ad Domvium  claniavi''  ("  With 
juy  voice  have  I  cried  unto  the  Lord'')^  Ps.  cxlii.  How  .solemnly 
through  the  still  cell,  over  the  heads  of  the  kneeling  brethren, 
must  these  words  have  sounded  :  "  I  cried  unto  Thee,  .  .  . 
bountifully  with  me." ' 

Such,  as  far  as  any  records  inform  us,  were  the  last  words  of 
Francis.  They  rose,  trembling  on  the  voice,  once  so  sonorous, 
full  and  sweet,  which  had  praised  God  by  all  the  Umbrian 
ways,  and  proclaimed  His  Name  from  Fast  to  West,  to  Gaul 
and  Spaniard,  to  Turk  and  Saracen,  in  knights'  castles  and 
seamen's  galleys — wherever  the  herald  of  God  could  pene- 
trate. It  sank  now  in  dying  quavers,  under  the  humble  roof, 
in  that  rude  and  miserable  cell,  where  not  a  luxury,  not  a  com- 
fort, solaced  the  closing  life,  but  only  love  and  faith — those 
supreme  riches  which  are  the  inheritance  of  the  poor.  Amid 
the  brethren  kneeling  round  him,  weeping  or  exulting,  as  per- 
sonal feeling  or  spiritual  triumph  rose  highest  in  them,  Francis 
lay  absorbed,  wrapped  in  that  ineflable  separation  in  which  the 
shadow  of  death  enfolds  the  still  living,  singing,  with  inter- 
rupted breath  and  pathetic  pauses,  his  death-song.  '  Me  ex- 
pectant justi  donee  retribuas  mihi,'  says  the  Latin  version — 
*  The  righteous  wait  expectant,  till  I  receive  my  recompense.' 


558  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Where  could  words  more  appropriate  be  found  for  the  close 
of  such  a  life?  The  companions  of  his  toil  around,  the  cloud 
of  witnesses  above,  his  brethren  on  earth  and  his  brethren  in 
heaven  waiting  till  the  end  was  accomplished  and  his  life  made 
perfect."^ 

Verse  4.  /  looked  also  up07i  my  right  hand,  and  saw  there 
7uas  710  man  thai  would  knoiv  me. — To  Staupitz,  his  great  friend, 
Luther  wrote :  '  The  world  may  call  me  proud,  covetous,  a 
murderer,  anti-Pope — one  who  is  guilty  of  every  crime.  What 
matters  it  ?  provided  I  am  not  reproached  with  having  wickedly 
kept  silence  at  the  moment  our  Lord  said  with  sorrow,  "  / 
looked  on  My  right  hand,  a?id  behold,  Imt  there  was  no  man  that 
would  k?iow  Mey  ' 


PSALM  CXLIIL 

Heading. — Longing  after  mercy  in  the  midst  of  dark  im- 
prisonment. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — The  outcry  of  an  overwhelmed  spirit. 

Contents  (Syriac).  —  A  Psalm  of  David — concerning  the 
Edomites  who  came  against  him.  And  the  prayer  of  him  that 
returneth  thanks  continually  by  reason  of  troubles. 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  spirit  and  the  language  of  this 
Psalm  are  not  unworthy  of  David ;  yet  the  many  passages 
borrowed  from  earlier  Psalms  make  it  more  probable  that  this 
Psalm  is  the  work  of  some  later  poet. 

I71  Church. — This  Psalm  is  appointed  in  the  Latin  Use  for 
Good  Friday;  and  it  is  also  one  of  the  seven  Penitential 
Psalms  appointed  for  use  on  Ash  Wednesday.! 

Psalm  cxliii.  is  used  in  the  Greek  Late  Evensong.  | 

*  Life  of  S.  Francis  of  Assist,  p.  293. 

t  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  218. 

X  Interleaved  Prayer-Book. 


PSALM  CXLIII.  559 

In  the  Eastern  Church,  in  Unction  of  the  Sirk,  this  I'salni 
is  used  at  the  beginning  of  the  office."^ 

Verse  2.  E7iter  fiot  into  judgment  with  Thy  servant,  O  f.ord. 
— Robert  Sherburne,  Bishop  of  Chichester,  died  in  extreme 
old  age,  just  before  the  dissolution  of  the  monasteries,  but  he 
survived  to  witness  some  of  the  most  tragical  and  heartshaking 
events  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.— the  fall  of  Wolsey,  the 
divorce  of  Katharine,  the  rapid  rise  of  Cromwell,  the  corona- 
tion of  Anne  Boleyn  and  her  death,  the  execution  of  Fisher, 
Bishop  of  Rochester,  and  of  Sir  Thomas  More.  It  is  touching 
to  read  the  clause  in  his  will  which,  as  with  a  presentiment  of 
impending  days  of  spohation,  he  attempts  to  propitiate  the 
spoiler  :  '  And  to  my  singular  goode  Lorde  Cromwell,  one  cup 
of  silver  gilt  with  a  cover  of  xx  ounces,  desyring  him  to  be 
goode  Lorde  to  my  executors  for  performing  my  last  will." 
The  death  of  Bishop  Sherburne  coincides  with  the  termination 
of  the  mediaeval  state  of  things.  '  The  tomb  which  is  often 
referred  to  in  his  document  was  prepared  under  his  own  direc- 
tion, and  in  his  will  he  desires  his  body  to  be  buried  in  his 
cathedral  church  in  "  a  poore  remembrance  that  I  have 
made  there  in  the  south  side  of  the  same  church."  This 
'■  poore  remembrance  "  is  really  a  very  handsome  piece  of  work. 
It  is  a  recess  in  the  wall,  enclosed  by  a  carved  canopy,  beneath 
which  is  an  alabaster  effigy,  painted  and  gilded,  of  the  bishop 
in  his  robes.  The  background  is  blue,  spangled  with  stars,  in 
the  midst  of  which  are  the  figures  of  two  angels  bearing  the 
mitre  of  the  bishop,  over  his  coat-of-arms,  and  the  motto, 
"  Operibus  credite."  Below  the  figure  is  the  text,  "-^ Non  intres 
in  judicium  cum  servo  tuo,  Domine,  Roberto  Sherburne."  ' 

Fuller,  after  his  quaint  manner,  says  that  Bishop  Sherburne 

'decorated  the  cathedral  church  with  many  ornaments,'  and 

that  if  '  Bishop  Seffrid  f  11.  bestowed  the  cloth  and  making  of 

the  church,  Bishop  Sherburne  gave  the  trimming  and  best  lace 

thereto.'! 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  273. 
t  Diocesan  History  of  Chichester^  p.  174.  , 


56o  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Luther,  in  his  answer  to  Cardinal  de  Vio,  wrote  :  '  Enter 
not  ijito  judgnie7it  with  thy  servant,  O  Lord,  for  in  Thy  sight 
shall  no  man  living  be  justified.  Woe  to  me,  however  honour- 
able and  however  praiseworthy  their  lives  may  have  been,  if  a 
judgment  from  which  mercy  was  excluded  should  be  pro- 
nounced upon  them.' 

Verse  8.  Show  Thou  me  the  way  that  L  should  walk  in,  for  L 
lift  up  my  soul  imto  Thee. — Extract  from  a  letter  of  Savonarola, 
giving  his  reasons  for  abandoning  the  world.  Such  a  decision 
came  from  his  beholding  '  the  great  misery  of  the  world,  the 
iniquity  of  men,  the  rapes,  the  adulteries,  the  robberies,  the 
idolatry,  the  cruel  blasphemy,  which  have  come  to  such  a 
height  in  the  world  that  there  is  no  longer  anyone  found  who 
does  good.'  '  I  could  not  bear,'  he  goes  on,  'the  great  wicked- 
ness of  the  blinded  people  of  Italy ;  and  so  much  the  more 
that  I  saw  virtue  everywhere  disdained,  and  vice  held  in  honour. 
This  was  the  greatest  suffering  that  I  could  have  had  to  endure 
in  this  world ;  on  which  account  I  pray  every  day  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  that  He  would  deign  to  raise  me  up  out  of  this 
mire.  And  I  made  continual  short  prayers  to  God,  with  the 
most  earnest  devotion,  saying,  "  Show  Thou  me  the  ivay  that  L 
should  walk  in,  for  L  lift  up  my  soul  unto  Thee  " '  (Notam  fac 
mihi  viam  in  qua  ambulem  quia  ad  te  levavi  animam  meam).^ 

Verse  12.  For  L  am  Thy  servant. — As  the  Virgin  Martyr 
St.  Agatha  replied,  when  upbraided  with  stooping  to  tasks  un- 
worthy her  high  birth,  '  Our  nobility  consists  in  this,  that  we 
are  the  servants  of  Christ  (Act.  St.  Agathse).! 

*   The  Life  of  Sa7JO?iaroia.  by  Rev.  W.  Clark,  M.A.,  p.  34. 
t  Dr.    Neale's  Co/nnietitary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  366. 


PSALM  CXLIV. 


PSALM  CXLIV 


561 


Heading  (Delitzsch).~Taking  courage  in  (ion  before  a 
decisive  combat. 

Co?ifents  (Syriac).— A  Psalm  of  David  -when  he  slew  Asaph, 
the  brother  of  Goliath ;  also  the  thanksgiving  of  him  that  is 
victorious. 

The  Title.— ThQ  LXX  adds  to  the  title  '  -^o?  rhv  YoVjuO: 

Verse  2.  My  hope  and  my  fortress.— In  the  Bible  the  Lord 
is  described  by  the  Psalmist  as  his  'fortress.' 

So  in  Fart  I.  of  King  Henry  VI.,  we  read  '  God  is  our 
fortress'  (Act  II.,  Sc.  i.).^ 

Verse  12.  That  our  sons  may  grow  up  as  the  young  p/ants. — 
In  a  striking  sermon  on  this  verse,  the  late  Archdeacon  Hare 
says  of  the  figure  here  employed  :  '  There  is  something  so 
palpable  and  striking  in  this  type,  that  five-and-twenty  years 
ago,  in  speaking  of  the  gentlemanly  character,  I  was  led  to  say  : 
"  If  a  gentleman  is  to  grow  up,  he  must  grow  like  a  tree — there 
must  be  nothing  between  him  and  Heaven."  This  figure 
marks  the  nature,  strength  and  vigour  and  freedom  of  the 
youth  of  the  land,  as  the  next  does  the  polished  gracefulness, 
the  quiet  beauty,  of  the  maidens.  They  are  like  the  exquisitely 
sculptured  forms  (the  caryatides)  which  adorned  the  corners  of 
some  magnificent  hall  or  chamber  of  a  palace. 't 

■^  Shakespeare  a7id  the  Bible,  p.  377. 

t   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  459. 


36 


562  PSALM-MOSAICS 


PSALM  CXLV. 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Hymn  in  praise  of  the  All-bountiful 
King. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — It  is  David's,  David's  very  own,  David's 
favourite.  It  is  David's  Praise,  just  as  another  (Psalm  Ixxxvi.) 
is  David's  Prayer. 

Co?itents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  David — Praise  with  theo- 
logical truth. 

Origin  (Perowne). — This  is  the  last  of  the  Alphabetical 
Psalms,  of  which  there  are  eight  in  all,  if  we  reckon  the  9th 
and  loth  Psalms  as  forming  one.  Like  four  other  of  the 
Alphabetical  Psalms,  this  bears  the  name  of  David,  although 
there  can  in  this  case  be  no  doubt  that  the  Inscription  is  not 
to  be  trusted. 

In  Church. — This  final  utterance  of  David,  which  closes  with 
an  appeal  to  all  nations  to  bless  God,  and  which  is  called  by 
Theodoret  a  prophecy  of  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles,  is 
happily  connected  by  the  Church  with  the  Festival  of  Whit 
Sunday,  the  consummation  of  all  the  festivals  of  the  Gospel.* 

In  the  GrcEco-Russian  Church  this  Psalm,  together  with 
Psalms  xxiii.  and  Ixxxiv.,  is  sung  by  the  choir  at  the  consecra- 
tion of  a  church,  while  washing  the  altar  throne  (see  on 
Psalm  xxiii.). 

The  Whole  Psahn. — Everyone  who  repeats  the  Tehillah  of 
David  thrice  a  day  may  be  sure  that  he  is  a  child  of  the  world 
to  come.  And  why  ?  Not  merely  because  the  Psalm  is 
alphabetical  (for  that  the  119th  is,  and  in  an  eight-fold  degree), 
nor  only  because  it  praises  God's  providence  over  all  creation 
(for  that  the  Great  Hallel  does,  cxxxvi.  25),  but  because  it 
unites  both  these  properties  in  itself. 

*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  221. 


PSALM  CXLV.  563 

The  acrostic  is  not  perfect,  as  the  letter  Nn?i  is  missin-, 
albeit  the  LXX.  have  supplied  it  with  a  verse  which  the 
Vulgate  has  adopted,  beginning  with  the  word  Faithful,  but  it 
is  almost  certainly  an  interpolation  (Delitzsch).  The  Talmud 
gives  a  singular  reason  for  the  omission  of  Nim—\\\^\.  it  is  the 
letter  which  begins  the  fatal  verse,  '  The  Virgin  of  Israel  is 
fallen  ;  she  shall  no  more  rise,  she  is  forsaken  upon  the  land, 
there  is  none  to  raise  her  up '  (Amos  v.  2). 

This  is  the  verse  supplied  by  the  LXX. :  '  The  Lord  is  faith- 
ful in  all  His  words,  and  holy  in  all  His  works.' 

Cassiodorus  quaintly  remarks  that  the  Psalms  in  which  the 
alphabetical  order  is  complete  are  specially  fitted  for  the 
righteous  in  the  Church  Triumphant,  but  those  in  which  one 
letter  is  missing  are  for  the  Church  Militant  here  on  earth,  as 
still  imperfect,  and  needing  to  be  purified  from  defect.^ 

The  Confessions  of  St.  Augustine  begin  with  quotations  from 
this  and  Psalm  cxlvii. 

This  Psalm  is  the  last  of  the  Alphabetical  Psahns.  It  is  the 
only  Psalm  which  bears  as  its  title  the  word  Tehillah  (praise), 
a  title  taken  most  probably  from  the  last  verse — and  from 
which  the  whole  of  the  Psalter  derives  its  name,  Tillim  or 
Tehillim.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  ancient  Church's  Psalm 
for  the  mid-day  meal,  and  St.  Chrysostom  says  that  the  15th 
verse  was  used  at  the  Holy  Communion.! 

Justly  did  Eniile  Saisset  admire  this  Psalm  as  a  specimen  of 
pure  and  tender-spirited  universalistic  theism,  and  well  said 
Rabbi  Joshua  ben  Levi,  '  Before  praying,  repeat  Psalm  cxlv.' 
(Talm.  Jer.  Berakhoth  5).! 

Verse  7.  The  Memorial  of  Thine  abundant  kindness  shall  be 
showed. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commetitaiy,  vol.  iv.,  p.  3S3. 

t    The  Speaker's  Commenlary,  p.  494- 

X   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Rev.  T.  K.  Cheyne,  p.  360. 


564  PSALM-MOSAICS 

'  Bread  of  the  world  in  mercy  broken, 
Wine  of  the  world  in  mercy  shed, 
By  Whom  the  words  of  Life  were  spoken, 
And  in  Whose  Death  our  sins  are  dead  ; 
Look  on  the  heart  by  sorrow  broken, 
Look  on  the  tears  by  sinners  shed, 
And  be  Thy  Feast  to  us  the  token 

That  by  Thy  Grace  our  souls  are  fed.' 

Reginald  Heber. 

Verse  13.  Thy  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  ki?igdo7n,  a7id  Thy 
dominion  endiweth  throughout  all  ages. — A  traveller  has 
observed  that  the  great  Cathedral  of  Damascus  is  still  standing. 
But  the  Christian  Church  has  been  turned  into  a  mosque. 
Over  one  magnificent  portal  remains  legibly  inscribed,  in  Greek 
characters,  the  13th  verse  of  the  145th  Psalm  with  the  addition 
of  one  single  word  : 

'H  Baff/Ag/a  cou,  XPKrTSj  BuoiAita  'jdvrav  tmv  aioorojv. 

There  stands  the  clause  in  letters  unobliterated  by  time  or 
hostile  hands  ;  unheeded  by  the  haughty  ignorance  of  the 
Moslem  ;  saddening  for  the  moment,  at  least,  every  Christian 
who  can  read  it  as  he  passes  by  :  '  Thy  Kingdom,  O  Christ, 
is  an  everlasting  Kingdom!'  (Tristram,  JToly  Zand,  p.  61S). 
This  instance,  at  least,  affords  evidence  how  those  who  reared 
the  Church  interpreted  and  applied  the  145  th  Psalm,  and  with 
it  many  other  parts  of  the  Psalter.  It  was  for  them  an  act  of 
worship,  addressed  to  our  Incarnate  Lord.'^ 

Verse  15.  The  eyes  of  all  wait  upon  Thee,  O  Lord,  and  Thou 
givest  them  their  meat  in  due  season. — Then  came  the  moment 
of  first  communion,  when  our  eyes  were  closed  to  all  earthly 
things  and  to  everyone  around  us,  and  we  saw  but  the  altar 
and  the  tabernacle ;  and  when  the  actual  moment  came  for  us 
to  draw  near  those  rails,  full  of  the  tenderest  and  truest 
emotions,  we  felt  ourselves,  as  it  were,  annihilated  before  God. 
The  after-communion  was,  first  a  moment  of  awe,  then  of  con- 
fidence, gratitude  and  joy.  ...  All  our  parents  were  there  in 
reserved  seats,  looking  upon   us  with  the  tenderest  interest. 

*   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christiatiity,  p.  193. 


PSALM  CXLVI.  565 

Our  catechists,  I  remember,  actually  cried  for  joy  at  seeing 
this  happy  result  of  all  their  labours ;  and  we,  with  the  grace 
of  God  in  our  hearts,  felt  a  happiness  so  pure  and  so  divine  that 
we  seemed  to  have  nothing  more  to  wish  for  on  earth.  .  .  , 
Even  to-day,  when  I  try  to  think  over  all  the  good  which  God 
then  did  to  my  soul,  I  can  only  say  that  I  realized  tlic  words 
of  the  prophet  : 

'  Ociili  ouuiiiwi  in  te  speranf,  Doniine,  et  tii  das  illi  escam  in 
tempore  opportune.^ 

Yes,  that  is  what  a  first  communion  should  be.  To  me  it 
was  '  the  accepted  time,  the  day  of  salvation,'  the  hour  chosen 
by  God.  For  a  long  time  I  had  been  unhappy  at  a  distance 
from  Him,  and  in  the  depths  of  my  soul  I  asked  Him  for  that, 
which  alone  could  renew  my  life  and  fill  the  void  in  my  heart, 
and  then  it  was,  O  Lord  !  that  Thou  openedst  Thy  Hand 
and  filled  Thy  little  creature  with  Thy  abundance. 

*"  Apertiisti  nianu??i  Tua?n  et  iinples  omne  animal  benedictio7ie'\ 


PSALM  CXLVI. 

Headifig  (Delitzsch).— Hallelujah  to  God  the  one  true- 
helper. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — We  are  now  among  the  Hallelujahs. 
The  rest  of  the  journey  lies  through  the  Delectable  .Mountains. 
All  is  praise  to  the  close  of  the  book. 

Contents  (Syriac).— Spoken  by  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  the 
prophets  who  went  up  with  the  Captivity  from  Babylon,  con- 
cerning the  ministry  of  the  priests  to  be  executed  in  the 
morning.  Also  supplication  and  praise  with  theological 
truth. 

Origin  (Perowne).— The  LXX.  ascribe  this  Psalm,  as  they  do 
the  138th  and  the  next  two  Psalms  (or  the  next  three,  accord- 

*  Life  of  Monseigneur  Dupanloiip,  Bishop  of  Orleans,  by  the  Abbe  F. 
Lagrange,  vol.  i.,  pp.  16,  17. 


566  PSALM-MOSAICS 

ing  to  their  reckoning,  for  they  divide  the  147th  into  two),  to 
Haggai  and  Zechariah.  It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that 
this  Inscription  represents  an  ancient  tradition,  for  nothing 
would  be  more  natural  than  that  these  Prophets  should 
directly  or  indirectly  have  contributed  to  the  liturgy  of  the 
Second  Temple,  to  which  these  Psalms  so  evidently  belong.  .  .  . 
The  Psalm  bears  evident  traces,  both  in  style  and  language, 
and  also  in  its  allusions  to  other  Psalms,  of  belonging  to  the 
post-Exile  literature. 

In  Church. — In  the  Sarum  Use  this  Psalm  is  appointed  for 
Trinity  Sunday,  and  also  for  Christmas  Day.* 

The  Whole  Psalm. — To  the  wonderful  coincidences  of  the 
Psalter  with  Christian  Theology  may  be  added  its  Trinitarian 
anticipations.  Of  that  strange  threefold  vibration  in  the  bless- 
ings and  ascriptions  in  the  Old  Testament  (Num.  vi.  22  ; 
Isa.  vi.  13-17)  it  abundantly  partakes.  A  Psalm  like  the  146th 
scarcely  needs  the  Gloria  at  the  close  to  bring  it  fully  into 
unison  with  our  Christian  worship.  It  contains  a  threefold 
Three  in  One.  It  has  a  heart  of  adoration  which  beats  in 
threes."*^ 

Verse  2.  Piit  not  yoicr  trust  in  princes  was  all  Lord  Strafford 
said  when  he  heard  that  his  death-warrant  had  been  signed. 

William  Shakespeare  : 

'  O,  how  wretched 
Is  that  poor  man  that  hangs  on  princes'  favour  ! 
There  is  betwixt  that  smile  we  would  aspire  to, 
That  sweet  aspect  of  princes  and  their  ruin, 
More  pangs  and  fears  than  wars  and  women  have  ; 
And  when  he  falls,  he  falls  like  Lucifer, 
Never  to  hope  again.' 

King  Henry  VII I.,  Act  iii.,  Sc.  ii. 

Verse  3.  For  luhen  the  breath  of  man  goeth  forth  he  shall 
turn  agai?i  to  his  earth,  a  fid  then  all  his  thoughts  perish. — It  is 
recorded  of  the  great  Saladin,  that  every  evening  in  his  camp 


*  Bishop  Wordsworth's  Commentary,  p.  223. 

t   The  Witness  of  the  Psaluis  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  233. 


I 


PSALM  CXLVII.  567 

an  officer  on  horseback  lifted  up  a  black  shroud  as  a  standard 
upon  a  lance,  while  one  of  two  mollahs  made  proclamations, 
'  Saladin,  king  of  kings,  Saladin,  conqueror  of  conquerors, 
Saladin  must  die.'  And  the  other  made  response,  '  Extolled 
be  the  perfection  of  the  Living  Who  dieth  not.'  The  slave  in 
the  chariot  of  a  Roman  general  during  a  triumph,  with  his  re- 
peated phrase,  '  Remember  that  thou  art  a  man,'  was  not  so 
impressively  solemn  a  warning  as  this."*^ 


PSALM  CXLVIL 

Heading  (Delitzsch). — Hallelujah  to  the  Sustainer  of  all 
things,  the  Restorer  of  Jerusalem. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  Psalm  of  the  city  and  of  the  field,  of 
the  first  and  the  second  creations,  of  the  commonwealth,  and  of 
the  Church. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah — con- 
cerning Zerubbabel  and  Joshua  the  Priest,  and  Ezra,  who  for- 
warded the  building  of  Jerusalem  ;  and  as  respects  ourselves 
praise  with  theological  truth.  Second  portion  :  Of  Haggai  and 
Zechariah  ;  when  they  forwarded  the  completion  of  the  Temple 
of  Jerusalem.     Also  praise  with  theological  truth. 

(Psalm  cxlvii.  in  our  version  is  Psalms  cxlvi.  and  cxhii.  in 
the  Syriac.) 

Origin  (Perowne). — Like  the  last  Psalm,  and  like  those  which 
follow  it,  this  is  evidently  an  anthem  intended  for  the  service  of 
the  Second  Temple.  It  celebrates  God's  almighty  and  gracious 
rule  over  His  people  and  over  the  world  of  nature,  but  mingles 
with  this  a  special  commemoration  of  His- goodness  in  bringing 
back  His  people  from  their  captivity  and  rebuilding  tlie  walls 
of  Jerusalem. 

*  Dr.  Neale's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  399. 


568  PSALM-MOSAICS 

In  Church. — This  Psalm  was  appointed  in  the  Sarum  Use 
for  Trinity  Sunday  and  Christmas  Day."^ 

The  Whole  Psahn. — How  different  the  choking  sobs  of  the 
102nd  Psalm  from  the  rapture  and  the  movement  of  that  grand 
processional,  the  147th,  chanted  round  the  walls  of  Jerusalem 
at  the  restoration  under  Nehemiah !  The  general  subject  is 
the  excellence  of  praise  : 

'  It  is  good  to  make  melody  to  our  GOD, 
For  it  is  pleasant,  and  praise  is  comely.' 

This  is  the  germ  which  expands  into  the  glorious  flower 
common  to  all  Liturgies — '  Vere  dignum  et  justum  est.'  But 
the  great  peculiarity  is  this  :  Others  are  as  rich  in  images  taken 
from  nature  and  history.  But  this  uses  the  natural  as  the  type 
of  the  supernatural— the  historical  and  actual  as  the  mirror  of 
the  ideal  and  spiritual. 

So  with  the  various  natural  objects  which  are  mentioned. 
'The  stars'  point  to  Abraham's  seed;  not  one  star  in  the  field 
of  space  is  missing ;  not  one  of  Israel's  outcasts  is  unknown. 
He  calls  each  by  name.  This  was  in  the  Good  Shepherd's 
heart  when  he  said,  ^a  Ibia  T^oiSu-a  (^on?  y.ar  hvo[j.a.  The 
'  clouds  and  rain  '  are  the  images  of  dispensations  at  once  dark 
with  sorrows  and  rich  with  blessings. 

If  the  ravens  are  heard  with  their  harsh  cries,  how  much 
more  '  His  Holy  Dove  '! 

If  His  word  '  runneth  very  swiftly '  in  nature,  we  are  to  pray 
also  that  in  grace  '  it  may  have  free  course  (may  run)  and  be 
glorified.'  'He  giveth  forth  snow  like  wool';  that  is,  chilling 
dispensations  of  God's  severe  providence  coming  down  on  His 
Church,  yet  forming  a  mantle  to  preserve  it  from  more  intense 
cold.  Each  image  from  the  region  of  nature  is  transfigured  in 
the  realm  of  grace,  t 

*   Bishop  Wordsworth's  Conu/ieiitary,  p.  224. 

f    The  fVitness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  atid  Christianity,  p.  197. 


PSALM  CXLVII.  569 

Ferse  3.  I/e  healeth  those  that  arc  hvkc/i  in  heart,  and  gii^cth 
fnedicine  to  heal  their  sickness. 

'  Lo,  a  star 
Of  Eastern  splendour  on  11  is  brow  doth  shine 
Who  walks  iininortal.      All  that  dareti  repine 

With  hopeless  anguish  at  His  feet  lie  hushed 
In  sacred  peace.     Himself  He  doth  incline, 

And  from  the  ground  He  takes  the  l)lo>som  crushed, 
And  on  His  henrt  again  its  faded  leaves  have  blushed.' 

Gkrakd  Lkiou. 

Verse  8.  Herb  for  the  use  of  men. — The  addition  of  the  LXX. 
to  verse  8,  preserved  in  our  Prayer-Book  version,  '  and  herb  for 
the  use  of  men,'  destroys  the  whole  force  of  the  passage.  It 
was  borrowed  from  Psahii  civ.  14,  where  it  is  in  place.' 


* 


Verse   9.  Feedcih  the  young  ravens  that  call  upon   Biin. — 
Where  good  old  Adam,  in  As  You  Like  It,  says  to  Orlando, 

'  I  have  five  hundred  crowns, 
The  thrifty  hire  I  saved  under  your  father. 

Take  that  ;  and  He  that  doth  the  ravens  feed, 
Yea,  p7'ovidentIy  caters  for  the  sparrow, 
Be  comfort  to  my  age  I' 

(Act  11.,  Sc.  iii.) 

can  we  fail  to  see  that  our  poet  had  in  mind  the  Psalmist,  who 
writes  of  God,  that  '  He  feedeth  the  young  ravens  that  call 
upon  Him  7t 

Verse  14.  He  niaketh  peace  in  thy  borders,  and  fit  let h  thcc  7i<ith 
the  flour  of  wheat. — There  is  no  doubt  of  what  is  intended  here 
—  the  Sacrament  of  the  Altar  is  the  bond  of  union  and  mutual 
charity  amongst  the  children  of  Sion.  Hence  the  ancient  rite 
of  the  kiss  of  peace,  which  made  a  part  of  every  Liturgy  in  the 
Early  Church,  from  at  least  the  time  of  St.  Justin  Martyr 
Hear  another  ancient  Christian  writer  :  '  We  know  nothing  of 
Communion  without  peace.'! 

*  Thrupp  on  The  Psalms,  vol.  ii.,  p.  320. 

t  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible,  p.  104. 

+  Dr.  Neale's  CoiiDnciitary,  vol.  iv.,  p.  416. 


570  PSALM-MOSAICS 

Verses  13,  14.  He  hath  blessed  thy  children  within  thee.  He 
77iaketh  peace  in  thy  borders. — St.  Augustine  was  preaching  on 
the  147th  Psahii  in  the  BasiUca  at  Hippo.  In  the  course  of 
his  exposition  he  read  the  13th  verse:  'Benedixit  fiUos  tuos 
in  te  ' — a  pause,  and  he  proceeded — '  Benedixit  qiiis  ?  Qui 
posuit  fines  tuos  Pacem  !'  There  may  have  been  some  tenderer 
cadence  in  that  grand  and  pathetic  voice.  But,  without  a 
single  additional  word,  without  one  sentence  of  the  preacher's 
exposition,  a  thrill  ran  round  the  church,  and  sighs  of  aspiration 
and  voices  of  joy  were  heard  among  the  people.  '  I  have  said 
nothing,'  said  the  preacher  ;  '  I  did  but  pronounce  the  verse, 
and  you  exclaimed.  What  have  I  shown  to  you  ?  Why  do 
you  cry  out  if  you  do  not  love  ?  Why  do  you  love  if  you 
cannot  see  ?  Peace  is  invisible.  What  is  that  eye  wherewith 
we  see  it,  that  it  may  be  loved  ?  You  would  not  cry  out  if  you 
did  not  love.  These  are  the  sights  which  God  lends  us  to 
things  which  are  unseen.  With  what  beauty  hath  the  under- 
standing of  peace  smitten  your  heart  ?  Why  should  I  now 
speak  of  peace,  or  of  its  praises  ?  Your  affections  go  before 
my  words.  I  do  not  fill  up  — I  cannot  — I  am  weak.  "  Dif- 
feramus  omnes  laudes  pacis  ad  illam  patriam  Pacis." ' 

Is  it  impossible  for  the  Psalter  to  possess  something  of  that 
power  in  the  nineteenth  century  for  Englishmen,  which  it  pos- 
sessed for  the  fishermen  of  Hippo  in  the  fourth  century  ?  I 
believe  that  it  is  not  The  result  of  deeper  study  of  the  Psalm, 
of  critical  science  brought  to  bear  upon  its  contents,  may  be  a 
new  enthusiasm,  more  subdued  and  less  demonstrative,  but  not 
less  real  than  that  of  which  St.  Augustine  speaks.  The  days 
when  this  new  enthusiasm  for  the  inspired  Psalm  shall  have 
passed  from  the  English  clergy  to  the  English  people  will  be 
days  of  new  life  for  the  Church  as  regards  (i)  her  own  services, 
and  (2)  the  best  separatists  from  her. 

(i)  In  the  African  Church  a  Psalm  was  often  appointed  to 
be  chanted  by  the  Lector  alone ;  and  then  explained.  St. 
Augustine  says  :  '  Ipsius  servi  vox  est  ilia  evidens  quam  in 
lamentationibus  audistis  in  Psalmo,  et  movebamini  cum  audi- 


I 


PSALM  CXLVIII.  37, 

retis,  quia  inde  estis.  Quod  caiitabatur  ah  uni,  de  omnibus 
cordibus  resonabat.  Felices  qui  se  in  illis  vocibus  tanquam  in 
speculo  cognoscebant '  (In  Joann.  Erang.,  ^Fract  X.,  cap.  i.). 
This  custom  was  thought  even  to  have  a  spiritual  meaning  : 
'  In  Psalmis  aliquando  plures  cantant,  ut  ostendatur  quia  de 
fiat  de  pluribus  '  (Tract  XII.,  cap.  iii.).  Might  not  this  prac- 
tice be  profitably  tried  in  some  of  our  own  Churches  ?* 


PSALM  CXLVIII. 

Headifig  (Dehtzsch). — Hallelujah  of  all  heavenly  and  earthly 
beings. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  song  of  nature  and  of  grace. 

Contents  (Syriac). — A  Psalm  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah. 
Theological  truth  that,  as  celestial,  so  terrestrial  beings  should 
praise  the  glorious  Lord,  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth,  the  God 
Almighty. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Whether  this  Psalm  is  exclusively  the 
utterance  of  a  heart  filled  to  the  full  with  the  thought  of  the 
infinite  majesty  of  God,  or  whether  it  is  also  an  anticipation,  a 
prophetic  forecast,  of  the  final  glory  of  creation,  when,  at  the 
manifestation  of  the  Sons  of  God,  the  creation  itself  shall  also 
be  redeemed  from  the  bondage  of  corruption  (Rom.  viii. 
18-23),  and  the  homage  of  praise  shall  indeed  be  rendered  by 
all  things  that  are  in  heaven  and  earth  and  under  the  earth,  is 
a  question  into  which  we  need  not  enter.  The  former  seems 
to  my  mind  the  more  probable  view. 

In  Chnrch. — Psalms  cxlviii.  to  cl.  are  sung  as  morning  Psalms 
before  the  concluding  Litany  and  Benediction  of  the  Greek 
Morning  Office.  They  are  also  used  at  the  burial  of  priests. 
The  Greeks  call  them  A/'^r,/— Lauds.  They  are  used  as  the  con- 

*   The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity,  p.  274. 


572  PSALM-MOSAICS 

eluding   Psalms   of  Western  Lauds,  and  are  appointed  at  the 
burial  of  children  in  the  Roman  Use.* 

T/ie  Whole  Psabn.- — It  is  but  faintly  and  afar  off  that  the 
ancient  liturgies  (except  so  far  as  they  merely  copied  their 
originals)  come  up  to  the  majesty  and  the  wide  compass  of  the 
Hebrew  worship,  such  as  is  indicated  in  the  T48th  Psalm. 
Neither  Ambrose,  nor  Gregory,  nor  the  Greeks  have  reached 
or  approached  this  level,  and  in  tempering  the  boldness  of 
their  originals  by  admixtures  of  what  is  more  Christian-like  and 
spiritual,  the  added  elements  sustain  an  injury,  which  is  not 
compensated  by  what  they  bring  forward  of  a  purer  or  less 
earthly  kind ;  feeble  indeed  is  the  tone  of  these  anthems 
of  the  ancient  Church,  sophisticated  or  artificial  in  their 
style,  t 

The  earliest  imitation  of  this  Psalm  is  'The  Song  of  the  Three 
Children,'  interpolated  by  the  LXX.  into  the  third  chapter  of 
Daniel.  The  hymn  of  Francis  of  Assisi,  in  which  he  calls  upon 
the  creatures  to  praise  God,  propter  hojiorabile}}i  fratrem  nostrum 
solem,  has  also  been  compared  wath  it,  though  there  is  really 
no  comparison  between  the  tw^o.  The  same  Francis,  who  thus 
calls  the  sun  our  '  honourable  brother,'  could  also  address  a 
cricket  as  his  sister — '  Canta,  soror  mea  cicado,  et  Dominum, 
creatorem  tuum  jubilo  lauda.'  But  neither  in  this  Psalm  nor 
elsewhere  in  Scripture  is  this  brotherly  and  sisterly  relation 
of  things  inanimate  and  irrational  to  man  recognised  or  im- 
plied.! 

St.  Bernard's  funeral  sermon,  in  which  he  describes  his 
brother  Gerard's  last  night  on  earth  : 

"  God  grant  that  I  may  not  have  lost  thee,  but  only  have  sent 
thee  before  me  !  God  grant  that  at  some  future  time,  even 
though  remote,  I  may  follow  thee,  whithersoever  thou  art  gone  ! 
For  there  is  no  doubt  that  thou  art  gone    to    those  whom, 

*  Iiiferleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  321. 

t   Spirit  of  the  Hebre'cV  Poetry,  by  Isaac  Taylor,  p.  157. 

X    The  Book  of  PsahnSy  by  J.  J.  Stewart  Peiowne,  vol.  ii.,  p.  473. 


PSALM  CXLVIII.  3-, 

towards  the  middle  of  thy  last  night  upon  earth,  thou  invitedst 
to  join  in  praise,  when,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  j^resent,  with 
a  voice  and  countenance  of  exultation,  tliou  didst  break  forth 
into  that  Psalm  of  David,  '  Praise  the  Lord  of  heaven,  praise 
Hivi  in  the  height:  Already,  my  brother,  the  dark  midnight 
was  becoming  day  to  thee,  and  the  night  was  made  bright  as 
the  day.  That  night  was  all  brightness  to  thee  in  thy  heavenly 
joys.  I  was  summoned  to  the  miracle,  to  see  a  man  exulting 
in  death,  nay,  heaping  scorn  upon  death.  '  O  death,  where  is 
thy  sting  ?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?'  No  longer  is  there 
a  sting,  but  joyfulness.     A  man  dies  singing,  and  sings  dying. 

0  mother  of  mourning,  thou  art  pressed  into  the  service  of 
gladness  !  O  enemy  of  glory,  thou  art  made  a  handmaid  of 
glory  !  thou  gate  of  hell  art  become  an  entrance  to  the  king- 
dom !  thou  pitfall  of  perdition  art  turned  to  a  means  of  s-lva- 
tion  1 — and  all  this  by  a  sinful  man.  And  justly,  too,  for  thou 
rashly  hast  usurped  dominion  over  the  innocent  and  just !  Thou 
art  dead,  O  death,  and  pierced  by  the  hook  thou  hast  imi)ru- 
dently  swallowed,  which  saith,  in  the  words  of  the  prophet,  'O 
death,  I  will  be  thy  death  !  O  hell,  I  will  be  thy  bite  :'  Pierced, 

1  say,  by  that  hook  !  To  the  faithful  who  go  through  the  midst 
of  thee  thou  offerest  a  broad  and  pleasant  pathway  into  life. 
Gerard  fears  thee  not,  thou  ghastly  form  1  Gerard  passes 
through  thy  jaws  into  his  own  country  not  only  fearless,  but 
singing  songs  of  praise  and  rejoicing.  When,  after  the 
summons,  I  had  reached  his  side,  and  he,  with  a  clear  voice, 
in  my  hearing,  had  finished  the  last  words  of  the  Psalm,  look- 
ing up  into  heaven,  he  said,  '  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  com- 
mend my  spirit  !'  and  repeating  the  passage,  he  said  again  and 
again,  '  Father,  Father  !'  Then,  turning  to  me  with  a  brighten- 
ing countenance,  he  said  :  '  How  gracious  of  Gor»  to  be  the 
Father  of  men  !  What  a  glory  to  men  to  be  the  sons  of  God, 
to  be  the  heirs  of  God  ;  for  if  children,  then  heirs  !'  Thus  did 
he  sing  for  whom  we  mourn.  He  hath,  I  confess,  almost 
turned  my  grief  into  rejoicing.  While  I  gaze  on  his  glory  my 
own  misery  almost  vanishes  away."* 

*  Life  ofS.  Bernard,  p.  238. 


574  PSALM-MOSAICS 

There  are  hvo  Psalms  in  which  we  seem  to  touch  the  oppo- 
site ends  of  the  gamut  of  emotion — the  De  Profiindis  and  the 
Latidate  Domiiium  in  Excelsis."^ 

George  Herbert's  ^Antiphon^ -. 

'  Cho.    Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing, 
My  God  and  King. 

Vers.   The  heavens  are  not  too  high, 
His  praise  may  thither  fly  ; 
The  earth  is  not  too  low, 
His  praises  there  may  grow, 

Cho.   Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing, 
My  God  and  King. 

Vers.   The  Church  with  Psalms  must  shout, 
No  door  can  keep  them  out ; 
But  above  all,  the  heart 
Must  bear  the  longest  part. 

Cho.   Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing, 

Aly  God  and  King.'' 

Bishop  Lowth  says  :  '  A  very  elegant  imitation  of  this  hymn  is 

appropriately  attributed  to  Adam  in  Paradise  by  our  great  poet 

Milton  ' : 

'  Neither  various  style 
Nor  holy  rapture  wanted  they  to  praise 
Their  ATaker,  in  fit  strains  pronounced,  or  sung 
Unmeditated  ;  such  prompt  eloquence 
Flowed  from  their  lips,  in  prose  or  numerous  verse 
More  tuneable  than  needed  lute  or  harp 
To  add  more  sweetness.' 

Paradise  Lost,  v.,  line  153. 

Verse  5.  He  spake  the  word.,  and  they  tvere  made:  He  cotn- 
ma?ided,  and  they  were  created — God  as  the  Creator. — Among 
the  stories  about  Abraham  which  are  preserved  in  certain 
ancient  books  is  the  following  : 

'  Abraham  left  a  cave  in  which  he  had  dwelt,  and  stood  on 
the  face  of  the  desert,  ^^.nd  when  he  saw  the  sun  shining  in 
all  its  glory,  he  was  filled  with  wonder,  and  he  thought,  "Surely 
the  sun  is  God  the  Creator,"  and  he  knelt  down  and  worshipped 
the  sun.     But  when  the  evening  came,  the  sun  went  down  in 

*   The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Rev.  T.  K.  Cheyne,  p.  364. 


PSALM  CXLIX.  575 

the  west,  and  Abraham  said,  "No,  the  Author  of  creation 
cannot  set."  Now  the  moon  arose  in  the  east,  and  the  stars 
looked  out  of  the  sky.  Then  said  Abraham,  "  This  moon  must 
indeed  be  God,  and  all  the  stars  are  His  host ";  and,  kneeling 
down,  he  adored  the  moon.  But  the  moon  set  also,  and  from 
the  east  appeared  once  more  the  sun's  bright  face.  Then  said 
Abraham:  "Verily,  these  heavenly  bodies  are  no  gods,  for 
they  obey  law ;  I  will  worship  Him  whose  laws  they 
obey."'^ 

Verses  9  and  10.  Mountai?is  and  all  hills :  fruitful  trees  and 
all  cedars.  Beasts  and  all  cattle  :  worms  a7id  feathered  fowls. — 
Alluded  to  by  Mohammed,  Koran,  Sur.  xxxiv.  10,  'And  we 
did  give  David  grace  from  us,  "  O  ye  mountains,  echo  (God'.s 
praises)  with  him,  and  ye  birds."  'f 

Verse  13.  All  His  saifits  shall  praise  Him  :  even  the  children 
of  Israel.,  even  the  people  that  sc7-veth  Him  (^Alleluia  I). 

'  This  is  the  strain,    the  eternal  strain,    the   Lord  of  all  things  loves  : 

Alleluia  ! 
This  is  the  song,  the  heavenly  song,  that  Christ  Himself  approves: 

Alleluia  ! 
Wherefore  we  sing,  both  heart  and  voice  awaking,  Alleluia  1 
And  children's  voices  echo,  answer  making.  Alleluia  \'X 


PSALM  CXLIX. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— Hallelujah,  to  the  God  of  victory,  of 
His  people. 

J"///^  (Spurgeon). — This  is  '  a  new  song,' evidently  intended 
for  the  new  creation,  and  the  men  who  arc  of  new  heart. 

Co7ite?its  (Syriac). — Concerning  the  new  Temi)le.   This  Psalm 
is  anonymous.     Praise  with  theological  truth. 

*    The  Childhood  of  the  World,  by  Edward  Clodd,  p.  107. 
J    The  Book  of  Psalms,  by  Rev.  T.  K.  Cheyiie,  p.  364. 
:;:  Gottschalk,  The  Sequence,  Canternus  cuncti  melodiam. 


576  PSA  LM-MOSA ICS 

Origin  (Perowne). — The  feelings  expressed  in  this  Psalm  are 
perfectly  in  accordance  with  the  time  and  the  circumstances  to 
which  we  have  already  referred  the  whole  of  this  closing  group 
of  Hallelujah  Psalms,  beginning  with  the  146th. 

Verses  6-9.  Let  the  praises  of  God  be  in  their  mouth  :  and  a 
two-edged  sword  in  their  hands  ;  To  be  avenged  of  the  heathen  : 
and  to  rebuke  the  people ;  To  bind  their  kings  i?i  chains :  and 
their  nobles  with  links  of  iro?i.  That  they  may  be  ave?iged  of 
theni^  as  it  is  written  :  such  honour  have  all  His  saints. — -The 
dream  that  it  was  possible  to  use  such  a  prayer  as  this,  without 
a  spiritual  transubstantiation  of  the  words,  has  made  them  the 
signal  for  some  of  the  greatest  crimes  with  which  the  Church 
has  ever  been  stained.  It  was  by  means  of  this  Psalm  that 
Casper  Sciopius,  in  his  'Clarion  of  the  Sacred  War'  i^Classicum 
Belli  Sacri),  a  work  written,  as  it  has  been  said,  not  with  ink, 
but  with  blood,  roused  and  inflamed  the  Roman  Catholic 
princes  to  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  It  was  by  means  of  this 
Psalm  that,  in  the  Protestant  community,  Thomas  Tvlunzer 
fanned  the  flames  of  the  War  of  the  Peasants. 

We  see  from  these  and  other  instances  that  when  in  her  in- 
terpretation of  such  a  Psalm  the  Church  forgets  the  words  of  the 
Apostle,  'the  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal '  (2  Cor.  x.  4), 
she  falls  back  upon  the  ground  of  the  Old  Testament,  beyond 
which  she  has  long  since  advanced.  .  .  .  The  Christian  must 
transpose  the  letter  of  this  Psalm  into  the  spirit  of  the  New 
Testament.* 

Verse  9,  S?ieh  honour  have  all  His  saints. — Sung  by  the 
African  confessors  (in  the  Arian  persecution  of  Huneric)  on 
their  release  from  the  horrible  dungeon  where  they  had  been 
confined. 

*  Delitzsch. 


PSALM  CL.  577 


PSALM  CL. 

Heading  (Delitzsch).— The  final  Hallelujah. 

Title  (Spurgeon). — A  Rapture. 

Contents  (Syriac). — Anonymous.  An  exhortation  to  the 
general  praise  of  those  things  that  are  written  and  sealed  by  the 
Spirit. 

Origin  (Perowne). — Is  one  of  those  Psalms  which  declare 
their  own  intention  as  anthems,  adapted  for  that  public  worship 
which  was  the  glory  and  delight  of  the  Hebrew  people  ;  a 
worship  carrying  with  it  the  soul  of  the  multitude  by  its  simple 
majesty  and  by  the  powers  of  music,  brought  in  their  utmost 
force  to  recommend  the  devotions  of  earth  in  the  ears  of 
heaven. 

In  Church. — In  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Gregory,  the  people  say 
the  150th  Psalm  after  the  Fraction,  but  before  the  Com- 
munion."^ 

This  Psalm  is  used  at  the  Greek  late  Evensong. f 
In  the  Roman   Catholic  Church  it  is  used  at  the  Burial  of 
Children,  with  the  Antiphon,  Psalm  cxlviii.  12. 

The  Whole  Psalm. — There  is  an  interesting  association  con- 
nected with  this  Psalm  which  deserves  to  be  recorded  at  least 
in  a  note — that  in  former  times,  when  the  casting  of  church 
bells  was  more  of  a  religious  ceremony,  this  Psalm  was  chanted 
by  the  brethren  of  the  guild,  as  they  stood  ranged  round  the 
furnace,  and  w^hile  the  molten  metal  was  prepared  to  be  let  off 
into  the  mould  ready  to  receive  it.  One  may  picture  these 
swarthy  sons  of  the  furnace  with  the  ruddy  glow  of  the  fire 
upon  their  faces  as  they  stood  around,  while  their  deep  voices 

*  Notitia  Eucharistica^  p.  760. 
t  Interleaved  Prayer- Book,  p.  321. 

37 


578  PSALM.MOSAICS 

sung  forth  this  hymn  of  praise.     There  are  few  that  know  not 
Schiller's  'Song  of  the  Bells.'* 

Gregory  of  Nyssa  says  on  this  Psalm:  'There  all  creatures, 
after  the  disorders  of  sin  have  been  removed,  are  harmoniously 
united,  s/'s  [j.lciv  yjoooa-racriav,  and  the  chorus  of  mankind  in 
concert  with  the  angelic  choir  becomes  one  cymbal  of  Divine 
praise,  and  a  final  song  of  victory  peals  out  to  God,  and  the 
Psalter,  after  all  its  depths,  dies  away,  not  as  the  first  three 
books  in  Amen,  not  as  the  fourth,  in  Amen  Hallelujah,  but  in 
Hallelujah  !'t 

Bossuefs  account  of  this  Psalm  is  as  follows  :  '  Quicquid 
sonat,  Deum  sonet.' 

At  the  end  of  the  Syriac  we  hare  this  colophon :  'The  hundred 
and  fifty  Psalms  are  completed.'  There  are  five  books,  fifteen 
Psalms  of  degrees,  and  sixty  of  praises.  The  number  of  verses 
is  four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-two.  There  are 
some  who  have  added  twelve  others ;  but  we  don't  need  them. 
And  may  God  be  praised  for  ever  !:|: 

The  first  three  Books  of  the  Psalter  ended  with  '  Amen  and 
Amen,'  the  firm  expression  of  faith's  reliance  on  God's  truth. 
Book  IV.  ended  '  Amen,  Hallelujah.'  No7l'  faith  has  been  lost 
in  joyful  realization.  God's  salvation  has  been  completed. 
Henceforth  there  is  only  the  ever-enduring  anthem,  Hallelujah. s< 

Verse  6.  Let  every  thifig  that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord. — 
At  the  approach  of  the  Greek  Church  to  the  Sclavonic  nations 
on  the  shores  of  the  Danube,  the  first  labour  of  the  mission- 
aries, Cyril  (or  Constantine)  and  Methodius,  was  to  invent  an 
alphabet  for  the  yet  unwritten  language  of  the  Sclavonic  tribes, 
in  order  at  once  to  render  into  this  language  the  whole  of  the 

*  Manna  in  the  Heart :  Daily  Comments  on  the  Psalms^  by  B.  Bouchier, 
vol.  ii.,  p.  464. 

t    The  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Christianity^  p.  183. 
i  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary,  p.  241 1. 
§  Kay  on  'I'he  Psalms,  p.  460. 


PSALM  CL.  579 

New  Testament,  except  the  Apocalypse,  and  the  whole  of  the 
Psalter  in  the  Old. 

Bulgaria,  by  its  position  on  the  frontiers  of  the  Greek  and 
Latin  Churches,  was  a  constant  source  of  discord  between 
them.  On  this  occasion  the  use  of  the  versions  already  sanc- 
tioned by  Constantine  was  also  referred  to  Rome,  and  was 
allowed  on  grounds  which,  in  fact,  justify  the  use  of  vernacular 
translations  everywhere,  though  it  was  afterwards  condemned  by 
the  same  authority  with  that  remarkable  inconsistency  and 
fluctuation  which  have  always  distinguished  the  policy  of  the 
Papal  chair  on  the  subject  of  the  circulation  of  the  Bible.  It 
was  sanctioned  on  the  ground  that  the  Psalmist  says,  ^Zet 
every  thing  that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord,^  i.e.,  in  the 
different  languages.  It  was  condemned  on  the  ground  that 
Methodius  was  a  heretic,  by  a  strange  confusion  between  him 
and  his  Arian  predecessor,  Ulfilas.* 

St.  Severiniis  the  Hermit  for  two  years  had  foretold  that  his 
end  was  near,  and  foretold,  too,  that  the  people  for  whom  he  had 
spent  himself  would  go  forth  in  safety,  as  Israel  out  of  Egypt, 
and  find  a  refuge  in  some  other  Roman  province,  leaving 
behind  them  so  utter  a  solitude  that  the  barbarians,  in  their 
search  for  the  hidden  treasures  of  civilization  which  they  had 
exterminated,  should  dig  up  the  very  graves  of  the  dead.  Only 
when  the  Lord  willed  that  people  to  deliver  them,  they  must 
carry  away  his  bones  with  them,  as  the  children  of  Israel 
carried  the  bones  of  Joseph. 

Then  on  the  Nones  of  January  7th  he  was  smitten  slightly 
with  a  pain  in  his  side.  And  when  that  had  continued  for 
three  days,  at  midnight  he  bade  the  brethren  come  to  him. 
He  renewed  his  talk  about  the  coming  emigration,  and  entreated 
again  that  his  bones  might  not  be  left  behind  ;  and  having 
bidden  all  in  turn  come  near  and  kiss  him,  and  having  received 
the  Sacrament  of  Communion,  he  forbade  them  to  weep  for 
him,  and  commanded  them  to  sing  a  psalm.     They  hesitated, 

*  Stanley's  Eastern  Church,  p.  310. 


58o  PSALM -MOSAICS 

weeping.  He  himself  gave  out  the  Psahii,  ^Praise  the  Lord  in 
Bis  saints,  afid  let  ail  that  hath  breath  praise  the  LordJ  and  so 
went  to  rest  in  the  Lord  (402  a.d.)."^ 

Let  every  breath  (or  with  Vulgate,  spirit)  praise  the  Lord. — 
It  is  with  a  most  deep  significance  that  these  words  form  the 
Antiphon  to  this  Psalm  when  it  is  used  in  the  Office  of  the 
Dead,  as  teaching  us  that  when  the  body  is  crumbling  in  the 
grave  the  soul  is  alive  to  God,  and  the  whole  being  of  man 
can  say,  '  I  sleep,  but  my  heart  waketh,'  which  stands  as  the 
noble  epigraph  over  the  tombs  of  the  Kings  of  Spain  in  the 
Escurial.f 

Dr.  Ker  beautifully  closes  his  collection  of  notes  with  the 
words  :  '  Whatever  connection  we  may  be  able  to  find  in  the 
place  which  particular  Psalms  hold  to  one  another,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  of  an  arrangement  as  to  the  whole.  The  book 
begins  with  benediction  and  ends  with  praise — first,  blessing  to 
man,  and  then  glory  to  God.  The  entire  book  is  divided  into 
five  portions,  each  with  a  similar  close,  and  evidently  intended 
for  the  public  worship  of  the  ancient  Church — the  41st,  the 
72nd,  the  89th,  the  135th,  and  the  150th.  The  last  Psalm  is 
the  great  Hallelujah,  the  triumphant  acclaim  to  Him  Who  hath 
gotten  the  victory,  after  the  manifold  sorrows  and  conflicts 
through  which  the  Church  of  God  and  the  believing  soul  have 
passed.  The  temple  thrills  and  throbs  with  the  burst  of  glad- 
ness, as  all  the  powers  of  man  and  all  the  creatures  in  the 
universe  are  summoned  to  aid  the  song.  It  seems  as  if  this 
were  the  very  summit  and  climax  of  the  praise  that  can  ascend 
to  God,  the  loftiest  wave  of  the  many  waters  that  break  at  the 
foot  of  the  throne ;  and  yet  it  yields  to  that  joy  of  which  the 
Apostle  speaks,  which  is  "  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory."  In 
one  of  Raphael's  great  pictures,  St.  Cecilia  and  the  singers 
round  her  have  caught  hearing  of  the  accents  of  the  praise  of 

*    The  Hermits,  by  Charles  Kingsley,  p.  237. 
t  Dr.  Neale's  Com?nentaiy,  vol.  iv.,  p.  445. 


PSALM  CLI.  581 

heaven,  and,  as  some  look  down  and  listen  in  profound  thought, 
and  others  look  up  in  rapt  wonder  and  ecstasy,  the  instruments 
of  earth  fall  from  their  hands  and  lie  broken  at  their  feet. 
When  we  read  this  Psalm,  and  pass  forward  to  the  new  song 
which  fell  on  the  entranced  ear  of  John  in  Patmos,  we  feel  as 
if  the  poet-painter  had  some  vision  like  this  before  him  :  "  And 
every  creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under 
the  earth,  and  such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them, 
heard  I  saying,  Blessing,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and  power  be 
unto  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  for 
ever  and  ever."  '* 


PSALM  CLL 

This  Psalm  was  never  published  in  the  Hebrew,  nor  was  it 
admitted  into  the  Canon  of  Scripture  nor  even  among  the 
Apocryphal  Books.  It  is  in  the  Septuagint,  Syriac,  Ethiopic, 
and  Arabic  versions.  The  narrative  differs  from  that  in 
I  Sam.  xvii.  They  are  all  silent  as  to  the  sling  and  stone, 
except  the  Arabic,  which  adds,  '  I  threw  at  him  three  stones 
into  his  forehead,'  but  says  nothing  of  the  sling. 

Dr.  Gill,  in  his  Commentary,  has  given  an  English  transla- 
tion of  this  Psalm.  Having  been  rejected  by  the  Latin 
Church,  it  is  very  rarely  found  in  ancient  MS.  copies  of  the 
Vulgate,  t 

The  Ti'f/e  is  '  A  Psalm  in  the  handwriting  of  David,  beyond 
the  number  of  the  Psalms  composed  by  David,  when  he 
fought  in  single  combat  with  Goliath.'  [ 

Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  translation  : 


*   The  Fsalms  in  History  and  Biography,  p.  1 76. 
t  Notes  and  Queries,  vol.  v.,  2nd  series,  p.  487. 
X  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary,  y.  241 1. 


582  PSALM -MOSAICS 

1  I  was  the  least  among  my  brethren  ;  and  the~  youngest  in 
my  father's  house;  and  I  kept  also  my  father's  sheep. 

2  My  hands  made  the  organ  ;  and  my  fingers  joined  the 
psaltery. 

3  And  who  told  it  to  my  Lord?  [^Arab.  And  who  is  he 
who  taught  me  ?]  The  Lord  Himself  He  is  my  Master,  and 
the  Hearer  of  all  that  call  upon  Him. 

4  He  sent  His  angel,  and  took  me  away  from  my  father's 
sheep  ;  and  anointed  me  with  the  oil  of  His  anointing  [others, 
the  oil  of  His  vierc}\ 

5  My  brethren  were  taller  and  more  beautiful  than  I ;  never- 
theless the  Lord  delighted  not  in  them. 

6  I  went  out  to  meet  the  Philistine,  and  he  cursed  me  by 
his  idols. 

7  {Arab.  In  the  strength  of  the  Lord  I  cast  three  stones  at 
him.  /  smote  him  in  the  forehead,  and  felled  him  to  the 
earth.] 

8  And  I  drew  out  his  own  sword  from  its  sheath  and  cut 
off  his  head,  and  took  away  the  reproach  from  the  children  of 
Israel. 

Metrical  Version  of  this  Psalm  : 

'  Among  my  brethren  I  was  least, 

And  of  my  father's  stock 
I  was  the  youngest  in  his  house — 

The  shepherd  of  his  flock. 
Rare  instruments  of  music  oft 

INIy  hands,  well  practised,  made  ; 
And  on  the  sacred  Psaltery 

My  skilful  fingers  play'd. 
But  who  of  me  shall  speak  to  GoD, 

And  tell  Him  all  my  care  ? 
The  Lord  Himself,  lo  !  even  now 

Doth  hearken  to  my  prayer. 
He  sent  His  messenger  and  took 

]\Ie  from  the  Shepherd's  toil ; 
And  on  my  head  sweet  unction  pour'd 

His  own  anointing  oil. 
My  brethren,  beautiful  and  tall, 

Held  theirs  a  happy  lot ; 
But  in  them  and  their  comeliness 

The  Lord  delighted  not. 


PSALM  CLI.  583 

To  meet  the  boasting  alien  chief, 

I  went  forth  on  their  part ; 
He  cursed  me  by  his  idols,  and 

Despised  me  from  his  heart. 
But  having  slain,  I  with  his  sword 

Cut  off  his  head  at  once, 
And  took  away  the  foul  reproach 

Of  Israel's  daunted  sons.'* 


Holland's  Psalmists  of  Britain^  p.  295. 


^an0  Jiff*- 


INDEX. 


A  DAM  of  St.  Victor,  1.39,  219 
"^^     Adams,  John,  166 
Adams,  Thomas,  62 
Adamson,  Elizabeth,  413 
Addison,  86,  106,  430 
Agatha,  Si.,  561 
Agnew,  vSir  Andrew,  303 
Akiba,  Rabbi,  442 
Albert  Magnus,  St.,  263 
Alexander,  Bishop,  20 
Alexander,  j\Irs.,  178 
Alexander  the  Great,  221 
Alexander,  Emperor,  168,  384 
Alexander  II.,  Emperor,  65 
Alexander  III.,  385 
Alexander,  Rabbi,  442 
Alexis,  Emperor,  436 
Alfonso  de  Tostado,  225 
Alfonsus,  King,  488 
Alford,  Dean,  372 
Alleluia  Battle,  295 
Alphabetical  Psalms,  55,  118,  159, 

564 
Alphonsus  Turibius,  St.,  507 
Alsted,  509 
Ambrose,  St.,  i,  90,  197,  202,  302, 

330,  355,  483 
Amphilochius,  St.,  439 
Anastasius  IV.,  76 
Anatolius,  St.,  64 
Andre,  Jean  Bon  St.,  88 
Anne  de  St.  Alexis,  Mere,  463 
Anthony,  St.,  128,  289 
Antiphon,  28,  308 
Apostolical  Constitutions,  272 
Aquinas,  St.  Thomas,  533 
Aram,  Eugene,  90 


Armenian  Church,  224,  531 
Arnaud,  Henri,  320 
Arnold,  Dr.,  227,  240 
Arnot,  William,  94 


Atbanasius,    St. 


[40,  209,   223, 


272,  421,  540 

Augustine,  St.,  3,  37,  70,  100,  123, 
154,  155,  165,  170,172,  197,202, 
220,  242,  263,  305,  334,  340,  355, 
357,  406,  422,438,  479,  493,  535 
571- 

Aygnan,  151 

"DABYLAS,  St.,  462 

Bacon,  Lord,  407,  543 
Bacon,  William  Thomas,  156 
Baker,  Sir  Henry,  106 
Balsam,  Peter,  129 
Barneveldt,  John,  47 
Basil,  St.,  1,  143,  223 
Bayard,  Chevalier,  226 
Bede,  Ven.,  192,  375 
Bellarmine,  Cardinal,  4,  409,  481 
Benedict,  St.,  422 
Beneditti,  493 
Bernard,  St.,  3,  42,  80,   143,   212, 

217,  258,  470,  573 
Berulle,  Pere  de,  55 
Beza,  488 
Binnie,  Dr.,  402 
Biscop,  Benedict,  341 
Blomfield,  Bishop,  236 
Bonar,  Dr.,  t,7,  43,  279,  3^6 
Bonaventura,  St.,  80,  401 
Borja,  Francisco,  251,  513 
Bossuet,  35,  92,  loi,  521,  579 
Bownd,  JNicholas,  93 


i 


INDEX 


585 


Bozius,  Thomas,  256 
Bradbury,  Charles,  84 
Bradbury,  Thomas,  362 
Brendan,  St.,  277,  349,  535 
Brich-Jesus,  2S2 
Brown,  J.  Baldwin,  24 
Browne,  Archbishop,  482 
Browning,  Robert,  152 
Browning,    E.    B.,   302,   317,  4c 9, 

518 
Bruce,  Robert,  324 
Bull,  Bishop,  91 
Bullinger,  227 
Bunyan,  John,  255,  296 
Burgensis,  Paulus,  445 
Burgess,  Bishop,  6^ 
Burgon,  Dean,  491 
Burnet,  Bishop,  104 
Byron,  Lord,  325,  546 

r^ALDERON,  471 

^^     Calvin,  John,  4.  46,  435 

Cameron,  Richard,  114 

Canioens,  543 

Campbell,  Mary,  94 

Carey,  Dr.,  237 

Carleton,  Guy,  31 

Carlyle,  Thomas,  9,  352 

Carlyle,  Mrs.,  45 

Carpeau,  169 

Casaubon,  354 

Cassian,  272 

Cassiodorus,  564 

Catacombs,  193 

Catullus,  361 

Caiiltield,  Sophia,  550 

Cecilia,  St.,  54 

Celerinus,  496 

Chantal,  Madame  de,  532 

Chardin,  Sir  John,  372 

Charlemagne,  143 

Charles  I.,  246,  451 

Charles  V.,  143,  467,  523 

Chauna,  Rabbi,  508 

Chrysippus,  St.,  209 

Chrysostom,  St.,  2,  39,89,  117,  155, 

260,  272,  477,  47«.  556 
Clarke,  Dr,,  1 73,  5 1 3,  5^2 
Clarke,  J.  B.,  253 
Clement,  St.,  of  Rome,  282 
Clementine  Liturgy,  157 
Clodd,  Edward,  139,  372 
Clovis,  84 
Coleridge,  S.  T.,  8,  67,  100,  253 


Columbn,  St.,  164,  205 

Columbus,  143 

Condc,  the  Grand,  239,  448 

Conradine,  143 

Constantinc  the  Great,  339 

Corpus  Chrisli,  338 

Cosin,  Bishop,  335 

Covenanters,  324 

Cowper,  Bishop,  480 

Cowper,  William,  83 

Cranmer,  Archbishop,  488 

Crasshaw,  Richard,  348,  539,  543 

Cromwell,  34,  464 

Crusius,  Chr.,  526 

Cuthbert,  St.,  163,  265 

Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  St.,  124,  158 

"r)AMASCEXE,  St.  John,  448 

Damiani,  St.  Peter,  90 
Dante,  330,  387,  450 
Darnley,  198,  249 
Davies,  Sir  John,  170 
De  Coudren,  Pcre,  121 
Delitzsch,  Franz,  18,  136,  260 
Demetrius,  Prince,  210 
Derby,  James,  Earl  of,  313 
Dering,  Edward,  203 
De  Rossi,  513 
Diane  de  Poictiers,  193 
/J>ies  /m,  221 

Dionysius,  the  Carthusian,  97,  300 
Diro^e,  The,  43 

Dix,  W.  Chatterton,  282,  508 
Doddridge,  Philip,  495 
Dolben,  Digby  Mackworth,  248 
Domenico  de  Pescia,  Era,  289 
Donatists,  242,  355 
Donne,  John,  4.  272-274,  296 
Dove,  Dean,  294 
Drummond,  D.  T.  K.,  428 
Dufi",  Dr.,  no,  425 
Dupanloup,  Bishop,  148,  185,  308, 

350,  484,  5'0.  532,  565 
Durie,  John,  512 

PADIE,  John,  15 
^^     Easter  Day  Psalms,  i\ 
Eckly,  Sophia,  130,  515 
Egmont,  143,  226,  231 
Eleonorc  de  Roze,  148 
Elie/er,  Ral)bi,  508 
Elizabeth,  (Jueen,  66,  152,  473 
Epiphanius  of  Pavia,  143 
Erasmus,  453 


586 


INDEX 


Ernest,  Duke  of  Saxe-Gotha,  405 

Erbkine,  Thomas,  14,  548 

Essex,  Lord,  146 

Esther,  446 

Ethiopia  version,  41 

Euripides,  352 

Evans,  Chriatma?,  98 

Evelyn,  534 

Evodius,  407 

Ewald,  H.,  177 

Ewing,  Mrs.,  73 

Ezra,  365 

■pABER,   F.   W.,   35,     176,    301, 

404 
Feckenham,  Dr.,  228 
Felicitas,  51 
Fenelon,  502 
Ferrar,  John,  64,  378 
Ferrar,  Nicholas,  160,  174,  560 
Ferrar,  Nicholas,  junr.,  464 
Fletcher,  Giles,  69 
Frances  of  Rome,  St.,  382 
Francis  d'Assisi,  St.,  iii,  255,  401, 

411,  558,573 
Francis  de  Sales,  St.,  yi,,   121,   152, 

178,  180,  192,  196,  198,  251,  280, 

332,  347.  380,  484,  532 
Frarcis  Solano,  vSt.,  506 
Franke,  A.  H.,  17 
Frai.klin,  Sir  John,  431 
Frederic,  St.,  of  Utrecht,  461 
Freeman,  Archdeacon,  63 
Fuller,  Thomas,  187 

r^ALILEO,  418 

^-^     Gardiner,  Colonel,  495 

Gardiner,  Captain  Allan,  270 

Gerbet,  Archbishop,  12 

Gerhard,  Paul,  5,  172,  258 

Gerhohus,  84,  120,  134,  276,  330, 

Gill,  Dr.,  582 

Gladstone,  V\^  E.,  18 

Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  226 

Godric  of  Finchale,  St.,  411 

Gordon,  G.  M.,  377 

Gotthold,  123 

Grant,  Sir  Robert,  318 

Graumann,  John,  414 

Gray,  410 

Gregory,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  578 

Gregory,    St.,    Nazianzen,    2,    302, 

506 
Gregory  the  Great,  St.,  300 


Gregory  X.,  533,  545 

Gregory  VIL,  St.,  208 

Gresham,  Sir  Thomas,  117 

Grey,  Lady  Jane,  143,  226,  228 

Gurnhill,  J.,  366 

Guthlac,  185 

Guyon,  Madame,  301,  318,  517 

"LTALLEL,  the  Great,  540 

-*■  ^     Hammer,  Julius,  549 

Hampden,  John,  370 

Hannington,  Bishop,  218,  471,  500 

Hapstone,  159 

Hare,  Julius,  79,  562 

Havergal,  F.  R.,  80 

Haydn,  Joseph,  236,  455 

Heber,  Bishop,  216,  312 

Heine,  Heinrich,  no 

Hengstenberg,  14 

Henri  H.,  193 

Henri  IV.,  228,  359,  466 

Henrietta  Maria,  Queen,  3 

Henry,  Emperor,  403 

Henry  H.  of  England,  452 

Henry  V,,  226,  244 

Henry  V.  of  England,  453 

Henry,  Matthew,  435,  478 

Herbert,    George,    143,   250,    258, 
296,  310,  492,  575 

Herder,  J.  G.  Von,  7,  534 

Herman,  Nicholas,  Jt, 

Hermit  of  Warkworth,  The,  195 

Hippolytus,  189 

Holofernes,  202 

Homer,  291 

Honorius,  394,  423 

Hooker,  Richard,  4,  498 

Hoorne,  143 

Home,  Bishop,  6,  177 
I    Hugh  of  St.  Victor,  209 

Hugh,  St.,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  369 

Hugo  of  St.  Cher,  342 

Hugo,  Cardinal,  361 

Hugo,  Herman,  194,  492 
i    Humboldt,  A.  Von,  417 

Huss,  John,  146 

Hutter,  Elias,  464 

Hymnus  Abecedarius,  55 

Hypatia,  340 

Hyrcanus,  John,  204,  503 

INNOCENT  HL,  97,  175 
■*■      Innocent  VIII.,  125 
Irving,  Edward,  8,  50,  108 


INDEX 


587 


Isidore,  172 

Ivan  the  Terrible,  171 

TAMES,  St.  (the  Persian),  167 
-'      James,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  158 
Jehudah,  Rabbi,  164 
Jerome,  St.,  202 
Jerome  of  Prague,  143 
Johanan,  Rabbi,  390 
Jonas,  282 
Josquin,  485 
Judah,  Rabbi,  45S 
Julian  the  Apostate,  335,  398 
Julian,  surnamed  Saba,  335 
Justin,  St.,  396 

TT-AY,  Dr.,427 

-*-^     Keble,  John,    117,  149,  220, 

227,  293,  31*3,  400,  461,  478,  505 
Kempis,  Thomas  a,  39,  488 
Ken,  Bishop,  64,  131 
Ker,  Dr..  581 
Kethe,  William,  403 
Kingsley,   Charles,    120,   252,    324, 

340,  348,  397,  501,  551 
Kogel,  Dr.,  127 
Korah,  Sons  of,  192 
Krudener,  Madame  de,  168 

T   ACORDAIRE,  Pere,  208 

Lamartine,  8 
Laud,    Archbishop,    77,    113,    151, 

257,  303.  389 
Laurence,  Sir  H.,  503 
Laurence,  Lady,  126 
Lawrence,  St.,  444 
Le  Tellier,  Chancellor,  363 
L(.e,  F.  G.,  114.  194 
Leigh,  Gerard,  570 
Leighton,  Archbishop,  6,  177 
Littledale,  Dr.,  263,  472 
Locker,  Frederick,  171 
Longfellow,  83,  450 
Lorinus,  246,  282,  318 
Louis  of  France,  St.,  143,  422 
Louise   de   France,   Madamt-,  235, 

449 
Lowth,  Dr.,  426 
Luther,  3,  43,  49.  61,  119.  I44.  154. 

172,  175,  210,  211,256,285,402, 

438,  467,  469,  488,  512,  523.  559. 

561 
Lutheran  Service,  119 
Lyte,  H.  F.,  346,  549 


A/TcILVAINE,  Bishop,  mo,  413 
McLeod,  Norman,  153 

Maglorre,  St.,  129 

Magnus,  Albert,  St.,  77 

Mahomet,  168,  174 

Maimonides,  553 

Malan,  Caesar,  186 

Mant,  Bishop,  396 

Manuel,  Don,  172 

March,  Henry,  195 

Margaret,  St.,  of  Scotland,  226 

Marie  Antoinette,  57 

Mark,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  192 

Marot,  Clement,  72 

Marsh,  Miss,   551 

Marshall,  Stephen,  546 

Marsyas,  437 

Martyn.  Henry,  112,  371,  419,  479 

Mary,  Queen,  187 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  193 

Massillon,  219 

Mauricius,  Emperor,  493 

Melancthon,  143 

Merrick,  518,  549 

Methodius,  579 

Midrash,  274 

Mills,  Mrs.,  481 

Milman,  Bishop,  523 

Milman,  Dean,  1 1,  2S5 

Milton,  John,  5,34.48,61,67,  74- 82, 
83,  87,  118,  164,  184,  207,  217, 
290,  295,  3S7,  389,  396,  398, 
418,  419,  440,  575 

Monod,  A.,  13 

Monsell,  Dr.,  41,  97,  187 

Montgomery,  James,  312 

More,  Sir  Thomas,  235 

More,  Mrs.  Hannah,  236 

Morgan,  A.  M.,  305 

Moser,  John  Jacob,  10 

Mueller,  John,  10 

Munzer,  Thomas,  577 

Murchison,  54S 

Musical  Psalms,  13S 

NARES,  Sir  George,  239 
Neale,  Dr.,  64,  88,  114-  256, 
263,  305 
Nepotianus,  487 

Newman,  J.  H.,  40,  382,  489   552 
Nicene  Creed,  171 
Nicholas  HI.,  259 
Nicholas,  St.,  143 
Nicholson,  Bishop,  4C0 


588 


INDEX 


Nicon  the  Patriarch,  435,  437 
Nivard,  457 
North,  Lord,  322 
Northampton,  Marquis  of,  517 
Northumberland,  Earl  of,  147 
Novatians,  242,  524 

QCULI  Sunday,  119 
^-^     Oduvald,  St.,  451 
Orange,  William,  Prince  of,  467 
Orcolampius,  226 
Origan,  172 
Oxenham,  H.  N.,  23 


pACPTOMIUS,  St.,  422 

Pambo,  177 
Parez,  151 

Parker,  Archbishop,  159 
Park,  Edward,  418 
Parva  Biblia,  4 
Pascal,  486 

Passion  Psalms,  2>Z'>  165 
Paula,  St.,  124,  347 
Pauline  Psalms,  154 
Paulinus,  St.,  176 
Paulinus  of  No. a,  260,  352 
Pelagians,  263 
PeUico,  Silvio,  147 
Penitential  Psalms,  44,  175 
Perovvne,  Bishop,  19 
Perreyve,  PTenri,  79,  93,   140,   19S, 

208,  384 
Perronet,  Edward,  148 
Philip,  St.,  of  Moscow,  179 
Philo  of  Alexandria,  298 
Philpot,  John,  463 
Phylacteries,  162 
Pius  VII.,  123 
Plato,  Archbishop,  6"] 
Plautus,  76 
Plumptre,  Dean,  295 
Pollock,  Robert,  170 
Polycarp,  St.,  143,  -z^z,  545 
Polyeleos,  the,  538 
Poor,  Richard,  Bishop,  40 
Pope,  291 
Providence,  343 
Psalm  of  the  Saints,  480 
Pseudo-Dionysius,  75 
Publia,  St.,  456 

QUARLES,    Francis,    59,    329, 
356 


"D  ALEIGH,  Sir  Walter,  240 
Reminiscere  Sunday,  119 
Retilian,  Bishop  of  Cirta,  123 
Richard,  St.,  Bishop  of  Chichester, 

143 
Richard,  Bishop  of  Durham,  461 
Richard,  Earl  of  Cromwell,  475 
Ridley,  Bishop,  146,  405,  488 
Robertson,  F.  W.,  11 
Robinson  Crusoe,  222 
Rogers,  John,  226,  229 
Romaine,  Mr.,  501 
Royal  Psalms,  the,  34 
Rudd,  Bishop,  376 
Rudolf,  339 
Ruskin,  447 
Russell,  Lord,  481 
Rutherford,  Samuel,  2c6 

CALADIN,  567 

*^     Salvestro,  Era,  147 

Sanderson,  Bishop,  6,  102,  1 32,  154, 
160,  310,  413,  494,  525 

Sandys,  George,  151 

Savonarola,  134,  156,  236,  536,  561 

Schiller,  579 

Schuch,  236,  506 

Scropius,  Caspar,  577 

Scudder,  David  Coit,  III 

Selnecker,  119 

Selwyn,  Bishop,  526 

Seneca,  253 

Severinus,  St.,  580 

Shakespeare,  33,  48,  57,  68,  71,  82, 
87,  96,  103,  121,  152,  163,  168, 
174,  177,  178,  220,  238,  261,  262, 
263,  275,  290,  291,  298,  336,  374, 
385;,  391,  439,  443,  454,  470,  491. 
503,  51S,  531,  545.  549,  554-  562, 
567,  570 

Shemonah,  Esrah,  254 

Sherburne,  Robert,  560 

Shophar,  the,  337 

Skinner,  James,  326,  4S9 

Smart,  Peter,  149 

Smith,  Sydney,  429 

Sobieski,  454 

Sophocles,  "178 

Soitain,  Joseph,  109 

Southey,  46 

Southwell,  Robert,  237 

Spenser,  Edmund,  382,  418 

Spurgeon,  93,  213,  217,  305,  321 

Spurstovv,  William,  80 


I 


INDEX 


589 


Stanley,  Catherine,  268 

Stanley,  Dean,  vii 

Steele,  Richard,  vi 

Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  83,  321 

Stier,  380 

Straftord,  Lord,  119,  567 

Stuart,  Anne,  Princess,  6^ 

Symmons,  Mr.,  499 

"TAIT,  Crauford,  78,  482 
-*■       Tait,  Catherine,  124,  132,  473 
Talmud,  336,  379,  459 
Tanchum,  Rabbi,  457 
Targum,  329 
Tarphon,  Rabbi,  442 
Taylor,  Isaac,  107 
Taylor,  Roland,  229 
Templar's  Banner,  486 
Tennyson,  Lord,  131 
Teresa,  St.,  194,  244 
Teresa   de   St.    Augustin,    Mother, 

235 
Tertullian,  172 

Theodore  the  Martyr,  St.,  159 
Theodore  of  Mopsuestia,  100 
Theodoret,  335,  563 
Theodoras,  39 

Theodosius,  Emperor,  439,  483 
Tholuck,  vi 
Thomas  of  Cclano,  221 
Thomson,  James,  441 
Thrupp,  J.  F.,  16 
Tinvvorth,  George,  385 
Tonstal,  Cuthbert,  336 
Tonus  Peregrinus,  451 
Torquato  Tasso,  507 

T  TSHER,  Archbishop,  258 


Vicars,  Iledley,  3S0,  551 
Victoria,  Queen,  505 
Vincent  de  Paul,  59,  543 
Vitalis,  Johannes,  342 
Vladimir  Monumachus,  196,  405 


WADDELL,  Dr.,  109 
'  '       Wales,  Princess  of,  497 
Warham,    Archbishop,    209,    292, 

336 
Washbourne,  Thomas,  53 
Watts,  Dr.,  313,  403 
Wesley,  Charles,  75,  212,  455 
Wrsley,  John,  172,  212,  213,  318 
Whately,  Miss,  292 
W^hitfield,  George,  50,  243,  471 
Whitgift,  Archbishop,  545 
Wilberforce,  William,  7,  479 
Wilberforce,  Pishop,  45,  56,  414 
William  L,  Emperor,  127 
Williams,  Dr.,  257 
Winton,  J.,  281 
Wishart,  G.,  478 
Wilson,  Bishop,  4S7 
Wither,  G.,  433 
Wolff,  Dr.,  528 
Wordsworth,  William,  87,  131,  219, 

3^°'  375       ^.  ,  ,    ,  .       , 

Wordsworth,    Bishop    of    Lmcoln, 


137,  I! 
5'7 


200,  311,  366,  415,  473. 


Wren,  Bishop, 
Wycliffe,  471 


V 


AUGHAX,  Henry,  237,  360 
Velasquez,  Antonio,  406 


VAVIER,  St.  Francis,  449 
^^     Xenocrates,  557 
Ximenes,  Cardinal,  30S 


UINGFR,  Theodore,  506 


THE    END. 


E/liof  Slock,  Paternoster  Rinv,  London. 


BY   THE   REV.  A.  SAUNDERS    DYER,   M.A.,   F.S.A., 

CI.ARE   COLLEGE,    CAMBRIDGE",    CHAPLAIN    H.M.    INDIAN    SERVICE. 


SKETCHES  OF  ENGLISH  NONCONFORMITY.  With 
Introductory  Letter  by  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Truro.  Second 
edition.     In  Crown  8vo.,  cloth,  price  is.  gd.,  post  free  is.  iid. 

'  I  hope  that  this  little  book  may  help  to  that  which  is  now  the  most  to  be  desired  of  all 
things,  a  reunion  in  primitive  truth  and  love  of  the  disunited  members  of  the  great 
Christian  community.'  — 77^^  laie  Bishop  Harold  Browne  of  Winchester. 

'  A  useful  Handbook  on  the  subject  of  Dissent  .  .  .  The  author,  who  js  a  loyal 
Churchman,  does  not  scruple  to  point  out  the  good  which  exists  in  the  various  Non- 
conformist systems,  and  the  lessons  which  the  Church  ought  to  learn  from  them.' — The 
Guardian. 

THROUGH  THE  VEIL.  Second  Edition  (with  additional 
Prayers  and  Hymns).  White  paper  cover,  gold  lettering, 
9d.,  post  free  9M.  ;  in  white  cloth  cover,  is.  3d.,  post  free, 
IS.  4d. 

'Consolatory  and  true.' — Church  Bells. 

'  Likely  to  comfort  mourners  all  the  more  because  Mr.  Dyer  refrains  from  those  specu- 
lations into  which  writers  on  this  subject  are  often  betraj'ed.' — G^mrdian. 

'  The  object  of  this  short  pamphlet  is  to  bring  comfort  to  mourners  by  a  simple  state- 
ment of  the  Catholic  faith  as  to  the  condition  of  the  Soul  after  death  ....  we  trust  that 
it  may  bring  comfort  to  many  to  whom  the  present  life  of  the  Blessed  Dead  is  little  else 
but  a  dreary  blank.' — The  Indian  Churchman. 

J.  Masters  and  Co.,  78,  New  Bond  Street,  London. 

THE  POEMS  OF  MADAME  DE  LA  MOTHE  GUYON 
with  Memoir.     Cloth,  price  2s.  6d.,  post  free  2s.  8^d. 

'  Madame  Guyon  is  a  person  whom  I  have,  for  many  j^ears,  regarded  with  peculiar 
interest.  I  incline  to  think  the  Poem  at  p.  56,  "  Divine  Justice  Amiable,"  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  whole.' — The  Right  Hon.  IV.  E.  Gladstone. 

'  The  tenets  of  the  quietists  are  chiefly  known  to  ordinary  readers  through  "  John 
Inglesant."  and  this  new  edition  of  one  of  their  best  writers  will  meet  with  a  wider 
welcome  in  consequence.  These  poems  by  Madame  Guyon  were  translated  by  Cowper 
in  1801,  and  ran  rapidly  through  four  editions  ;  but  they  have  long  been  out  of  print,  and 
Mr.  Dyer  has  done  a  good  work  in  republishing  them.  His  object  in  doing  so  is  to  show 
that  the  higher  life  of  constant  and  immediate  spiritual  communion  with  the  Saviour  is 
not  opposed  to,  or  independent  of,  the  diligent  use  of  the  means  of  grace  appointed  in  the 
Church.  The  life  of  Madame  Guyon,  as  he  truly  says,  is  a  standing  witness  to  this 
truth.  A  devout  and  convinced  Roman  Catholic,  she  was  at  the  same  time  as  "spiritually 
minded "  as  the  most  earnest  Evangelical.  She  speaks  of  her  Bible  as  her  dearest 
treasure,  and  describes  her  "  experiences  "  with  as  much  "  unction  "  as  any.  The  sketch 
of  her  life  prefixed  to  the  poems  is  deeply  interesting,  and  the  poems  themselves  are  full 
of  devotion.' — The  Gjiardian. 

'A  biography  of  Madame  Guyon  prefixed  to  the  poems  gives  an  interesting  and 
instructive  account  of  a  truly  pious  life.' — The  Literary  World. 

'  This  little  volume  should  find  a  response  in  many  a  heart.  It  is  honest  ;  it  is 
welcome.' — Allen's  Indian  Mail. 

'  Madame  Guyon's  life  is  more  deeply  interesting  than  her  poems,  though  these  \yill 
find  favour  with  many  from  the  evident  sincerity  and  womanly  tenderness  of  her  devotion 
.  .  .  The  story  of  her  life,  as  the  author  says,  is  more  fascinating  than  many  a  romance. 
The  short  narrative  he  gives  is  well  done,  but  it  does  not  satisfj-.  It  merely  whets  the 
appetite  for  more.' — The  Ecclesiastical  Gazette. 

'Probably  the  best  issue  of  these  poems  to  be  obtained  in  the  English  language.' — 
The  Englishman  {Calcutta). 

'  We  are  well  pleased  with  the  little  volume.  It  will  serve  for  a  pretty  and  graceful  gift, 
or  a  comforting  companion  for  those  in  loneliness  and  sickness  ;  and  we  wish  it  "  God 
speed."' — The  Indian  Churchman. 

David  Bryce  and  Sons,  Glasgow. 


